LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Political Party Finance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  if he will bring forward legislative proposals to impose a statutory cap on  (a) individual,  (b) corporate and  (c) trade union donations to political parties;
	(2)  if he will introduce a statutory cap on  (a) individual, (b) trade union and  (c) corporate donations to political parties.

Jack Straw: Sir Hayden Phillips is currently undertaking an independent review of the funding of political parties. He has been asked to aim to produce recommendations that are as much as possible agreed between the political parties with a view to legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
	When Sir Hayden Phillips has issued his final report, the Government will carefully consider his conclusions and respond in due course.

Sir Hayden Phillips

Oliver Heald: To ask the Leader of the House what meetings he has had with Sir Hayden Phillips in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: I have had regular meetings with Sir Hayden Phillips since I took over responsibility for reform of party funding arrangements in May 2006.

TRANSPORT

Bicycle Thefts

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bicycles were reported stolen from railway stations in each year since 1997.

Tom Harris: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, E-mail:
	general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on the Channel Tunnel rail link in each of the last five years; and what his estimate is of the likely expenditure in each of the next four years.

Tom Harris: In previous years the following sums have been spent by London and Continental Railways on the construction of sections one and two of the Channel Tunnel rail link (now known as High Speed 1), and the new Eurostar depot at Temple Mills:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002 960 
			 2003 932 
			 2004 665 
			 2005 637 
		
	
	Expenditure in 2006 is currently being finalised and will be subject to audit prior to being made public later this year.
	Anticipated expenditure for this and future years is commercially sensitive to London and Continental Railways Limited as a private company, and therefore cannot be made public at this time.

Local Transport Plan

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 132-3WS, on the Local Transport Capital Settlement 2007-08, whether the funding of £3 billion to improve local transport outside London is included in the total of £8 billion over the five years of the local transport plan period; and whether  (a) that £3 billion and  (b) any part of it had previously been announced.

Gillian Merron: The £3 billion funding announced in the written ministerial statement of 18 December 2006 is part of the total planned investment of £8 billion over the five years of the local transport plan period (2006-07 to 2010-11). The £3 billion is composed of integrated transport allocations for the four years from 2007-08 to 2010-11 and maintenance allocations for 2007-08.
	These allocations for individual local transport plan areas of the £3 billion have not been announced before. However, planning guidelines distributing most of the integrated transport and maintenance funding to local transport plan areas on an indicative basis had been published previously in order to allow councils to formulate effective and realistic transport strategies.
	The Department for Transport's guidance on local transport plans (dated December 2004 and published on the DfT website) pointed out that the eventual allocations for individual local transport plans would be adjusted for performance and so might differ significantly from these indicative planning guidelines. The guidance, however, indicated an intention (now delivered) that each plan area would receive at least three quarters of its planning guidelines.

Private Finance Initiative

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contractors have claimed success fees in bid competitions since the establishment of public private partnerships and private finance initiatives; and at what cost to the public purse.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport has not paid any success fees to contractors on public private partnership or private finance initiative projects.

Rail Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of c2c's performance in managing the rail network in southern Essex.

Tom Harris: Improving rail performance is a key objective for the Department for Transport. However, managing rail network performance is the responsibility of Network Rail and joint action plans are in place between Network Rail and c2c to address performance issues. These are monitored monthly.

Rail Services

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to encourage train operating companies to install automatic ticket machines in their stations that are of universal design and use the same command sequence; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Decisions on whether to install ticket vending machines, the type of machines to be procured, and the detailed way in which the machines will work, are a matter for train operators.

Rail Services

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to encourage train operating companies to adopt a consistent nationwide policy on the issuing of penalty fares to passengers not in possession of a valid ticket.

Tom Harris: All operators who charge penalty fares must comply with the Penalty Fares Rules 2002 and the provisions of their own penalty fares scheme. Every penalty fares scheme must be approved by the Department for Transport. The Penalty Fares Rules ensure consistency between operators in terms of when a penalty fare may and may not be charged, the wording and design of penalty fare warning notices, criteria for accepting or declining appeals, and the use of discretion by staff.

Rail Services

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what agency has responsibility for ensuring that train operating companies comply with the terms of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.

Tom Harris: Operators are required to comply with the National Rail Conditions of Carriage by their Passenger Licence, which is enforced by the Office of Rail Regulation. Compliance with the National Rail Conditions of Carriage is also a requirement of franchise agreements, which are enforced by the Department for Transport.

Street Lighting

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to require local authorities to publish a statement annually setting out their policies on street lighting with details of the number, age and energy efficiency of the assets; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department endorses the recommendation in 'Well-lit Highways', the UK Lighting Board code of practice for highways lighting management (TSO, 2004), that local authorities should clearly and publicly state their public lighting service policy, and local highway authorities have been encouraged to prepare transport asset management plans drawing together the information required to execute policies effectively. The plans will include a description of the transport assets held, their existing condition, and proposed service levels. They will also provide an opportunity to set out the authority's asset management policies, including those relevant to the energy efficiency of assets.
	Good inventory records are a necessary foundation for effective management of highway assets, and DfT officials have been working with the UK Lighting Board to encourage local authorities to improve their street lighting inventories.

Trade Union Funding

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has given to individual trade unions in the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport, including its agencies, has given no funding to individual trade unions in the last three years.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Actis

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the outcomes of each investment made by Actis since February 2004.

Hilary Benn: CDC Group plc, as a Government-owned fund of funds, provides capital for investment in sustainable and responsibly managed private sector businesses in poorer countries through funds managed by Actis and others. CDC is responsible for assessing the outcome of fund managers' investments against the objectives and business principles which I agreed with it in 2004. Results are published in CDC's annual report.

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid and assistance has been given by the Government to developing countries attempting to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has provided approximately £4.5 million to date to support countries wishing to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The majority of this has been channelled through the EITI Multi-Donor Trust Fund administered by the World Bank, which DFID helped set up to provide support to developing countries seeking to implement EITI. In addition, DFID staff in their role as EITI Secretariat, have produced guidance to countries seeking to implement EITI, which is contained in the EITI Source Book and Validation Guide.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Government plans to make a contribution to the UN High Commission for Refugees' emergency appeal for refugees fleeing violence in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID is very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Iraq and we are in close contact with the United Nations and Red Cross to discuss what more the UK can do. UN agencies estimate that some 1.7 million Iraqis are currently displaced internally and up to two million others have fled to nearby countries. We are currently discussing with UN agencies and the international Red Cross where funds can be most effectively placed to deliver assistance on the ground. No decision has yet been taken over whether we will be contributing to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees appeal.
	DFID is already supporting humanitarian agencies in Iraq. Since 2003 we have contributed over £100 million of assistance to the UN and Red Cross. This includes £85 million to UN humanitarian appeals and £32 million to the international Red Cross—we made a contribution of £4 million to the 2006 Red Cross appeal. Additionally, DFID provided £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), which provides support to IDPs or internaly displaced persons through UN trust funds cluster F (which is identified for humanitarian needs).

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were not answered wholly or in part on grounds of disproportionate cost.

Hilary Benn: DFID does hold this information in the format requested, but it is obtainable from the Hansard  Official Report.

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were answered with a reply that it had not been possible to reply before prorogation.

Hilary Benn: Five parliamentary questions in the 2005-06 session were answered with such replies. In all cases, I wrote letters with the answers to those Members who had tabled the questions.

School Partnerships

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many school partnerships have been established between UK schools and schools in developing countries in each of the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The DFID Global School Partnerships (DGSP) programme does not set up partnerships between schools in the UK and schools in developing countries. It works with schools that already have partnerships and are looking for advice and guidance and/or grants to support their links. The DGSP has awarded a total of 576 grants from January 2003 to December 2006.
	
		
			   Reciprocal visit grants  Global curriculum project grants  Total 
			 2003 47 29 76 
			 2004 106 37 143 
			 2005 95 32 127 
			 2006 183 47 230 
			 Total 431 145 576

School Partnerships

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what date the partnership programme linking UK schools with those in developing countries began.

Gareth Thomas: The DFID Global School Partnerships programme commenced on 1 January 2003.

School Partnerships

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the £7.5 million allocated over three years for the Global Schools Partnerships programme will be spent in  (a) the UK and  (b) developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: The increased budget of £7.5 million runs from April 2006 for three years. However, the current contract for the management of the programme ends in December 2007 so we can only provide figures for £4.4 million, the amount to be spent by that date.
	 (a)—£2,743,914
	 (b)—£1,657,148

School Partnerships

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many schools in the UK have received  (a) reciprocal visit grants,  (b) Global Curriculum Project grants and  (c) travel grants under his Global Schools Partnerships programme to date.

Gareth Thomas: The following figures relate to the period January 2003 to December 2006:
	 (a) 438 schools have received reciprocal visit grants
	 (b) 147 schools have received Global Curriculum Project (GCP) grants
	 (c) Travel grants for students of secondary school age are available in addition to the Global Curriculum Project grants—59 of the 147 GCP grants have included student travel.

School Partnerships

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the value is of grants given to date under the Global Schools Partnerships programme.

Gareth Thomas: £2,369,119 of grants have been awarded between January 2003 and December 2006.

School Partnerships

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which schools in the UK have received more than £2,000 under his global schools partnerships programme.

Gareth Thomas: The following schools have received more than £2,000 under the DFID Global School Partnerships programme for the period January 2003 to December 2006.
	
		
			  Schools  Area 
			 Alderbrook Primary School London 
			 Allfarthing London 
			 Alwoodley Primary School Leeds 
			 Anderson High School Shetland Islands 
			 Ann Cam CE Primary School Gloucestershire 
			 Ansford Community School Somerset 
			 Ash Lea Nottingham 
			 Ashcombe School Surrey 
			 Ashcott Primary School Somerset 
			 Avon Primary School Bristol 
			 Aylesbury High School Bucks 
			 Bedwas High School Caerphilly 
			 Benhall Infant School Cheltenham 
			 Bentley St Paul's C of E Primary Essex 
			 Brentry Primary School Bristol 
			 Brixham CE Infant School Devon 
			 Brook Acre Primary School Cheshire 
			 Bruntcliffe High Leeds 
			 Bruton Primary School Somerset 
			 Byrness First / Otterburn Newcastle Upon Tyne 
			 Cassop Durham 
			 Castlemorton Primary Worcestershire 
			 Central Technology College Gloucester 
			 Chewton Mendip London 
			 Cirencester Kingshill School Gloucestershire 
			 Comberton Village College Cambridgeshire 
			 Countess Gytha Somerset 
			 Crispin School Somerset 
			 Crowcombe Cof E First School Somerset 
			 Culverhay Somerset 
			 Currie Community High School Currie 
			 Dallam School Cumbria 
			 Dene Magna Gloucestershire 
			 Dorton House School Kent 
			 Drybrook Primary Gloucestershire 
			 Durants School London 
			 Eastfield Primary School Enfield 
			 Edinburgh Primary School Walthamstow 
			 Elgin Academy Elgin 
			 Faringdon Community College Oxon 
			 Fortrose Academy Ross-Shire 
			 Galliard Primary School London 
			 George Stephenson High Newcastle upon Tyne 
			 Ghyllside Primary School Cumbria 
			 Greentrees Primary School Wiltshire 
			 Gumley House Convent School Middlesex 
			 Hagley First School West Midlands 
			 Hamstead Hall School Birmingham 
			 Harlington Upper School Beds 
			 Hartcliffe Engineering Community College Bristol 
			 Hartside Primary School Co. Durham 
			 Henbury Secondary School Bristol 
			 Hendon School London 
			 Hengrove Community Arts College Bristol 
			 Henry Box School Oxon 
			 High School for Girls, Gloucester Gloucester 
			 Hillcrest Primary School Bristol 
			 Horfield CEVC Primary School Bristol 
			 Hotwells Primary School Bristol 
			 Impington Village College Cambridge 
			 Ingleton Middle Lancashire 
			 Inkberrow First School Worcestershire 
			 John Bentley School Wiltshire 
			 John O'Gaunt School Berkshire 
			 Juniper Green Primary School Edinburgh 
			 Kimberley Comprehensive School Notts 
			 King Alfred School London 
			 Kingsley St. John's Aided Primary School Cheshire 
			 Kingsmead Community School Somerset 
			 Lakers School Gloucestershire 
			 Lancaster Girls Grammar School Lancaster 
			 Lord Scudamore Primary School Hereford 
			 Meare Village Primary Somerset 
			 Moseley School Birmingham 
			 Mossbank Shetland 
			 Newent Community School Newent 
			 Ocklynge Junior School Eastbourne 
			 Ormesby School Middlesborough 
			 Our Lady and St. Thomas RCVA Primary School Co. Durham 
			 Ousedale School Buckinghamshire 
			 Paget Primary School Birmingham 
			 Peatmoor Community Primary School Swindon 
			 Penrice Community College Cornwall 
			 Plymouth High School for Girls Plymouth 
			 Polesworth High Tamworth 
			 Ponteland Community High Newcastle upon Tyne 
			 Prince of Wales Primary School Middlesex 
			 Ravensbourne School Bromley 
			 Raynham Primary School London 
			 Richard Bonington Primary and Nursery School Nottingham 
			 Richard Taylor CE Primary School Harrogate 
			 Ruardean C of E Primary Gloucestershire 
			 Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School Cheshire 
			 Salisbury High School (formerly Westwood St Thomas Salisbury 
			 Seaton Burn Community College North Tyneside 
			 Solway Community Cumbria 
			 South Street Primary School Bristol 
			 Southroyd Primary and Nursery School Leeds 
			 St. Aidans CE High North Yorks 
			 St. Barnabas CEVC Primary School Bristol 
			 St. Bede's RC Comprehensive Durham 
			 St. Benedict's RC High School Warwickshire 
			 St. Bonaventures Primary Bristol 
			 St. Briavels C of E Primary School Gloucestershire 
			 St. Cenydd Comprehensive School Caerphilly 
			 St. Cleer Primary School Cornwall 
			 St. Edmund's Catholic Primary School Oxon 
			 St. Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School West Midlands 
			 St. Hubert's Catholic Primary School Oldbury 
			 St. Luke's High Exeter 
			 St. Mary's C of E Primary School (East Grinstead) West Sussex 
			 St. Marys R.C. Primary School Newcastle Upon Tyne 
			 St. Michael's CE Primary School Leeds 
			 St. Nicholas CE Middle School Worcestershire 
			 St. Peters CE Primary School Leeds 
			 Stantonbury Campus Milton Keynes 
			 Stanwix Primary School Carlisle 
			 Steam Mills Gloucestershire 
			 Stramongate School Cumbria 
			 Stutton CEVC Primary Ipswich 
			 Tavistock College Devon 
			 Thorner CE Primary School Leeds 
			 Timothy Hackworth Primary School County Durham 
			 Uckfield Community Technology College East Sussex 
			 Ulverston Victoria High School Cumbria 
			 Warden Park West Sussex 
			 Weald of Kent Girls Grammar School Kent 
			 Westwood St. Thomas School Salisbury 
			 Whitecross School Gloucestershire 
			 Whitefield School London 
			 Whitstone School Somerset 
			 Wilbury Primary School London 
			 Willington CE Primary School Crook 
			 Willowtown Community Primary School Ebbw Vale 
			 Wribbenhall First School Worcestershire 
			 Ysgol Bro Cinmeirch Sir Ddinbych 
			 Ysgol Gymuned y Gors Swansea 
			 Ysgol Gynradd Llanddewi Brefi Ceredigion 
			 Ysgol Gynradd Nantgaredig Carmarthenshire 
			 Ysgol Llannefydd Sir Conwy 
			 Ysgol Trewen Ceredigion 
			 Ysgol y Llys Gogledd Cymru

School Partnerships

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with which countries schools in the UK have so far been linked under his Global Schools Partnerships programme.

Gareth Thomas: Schools in the UK have been linked with the following countries under the DFID Global School Partnerships programme for the period January 2003 to December 2006.
	Argentina
	Anguilla
	Bahamas
	Bangladesh
	Botswana
	Brazil
	Burkina Faso
	Cameroon
	Cayman Islands
	Chile
	Columbia
	Cuba
	Egypt
	Ethiopia
	Gambia
	Ghana
	Grenada
	Guinea
	India
	Jamaica
	Kenya
	Lesotho
	Liberia
	Malawi
	Mexico
	Montserrat
	Morocco
	Mozambique
	Namibia
	Nepal
	Nicaragua
	Nigeria
	Pakistan
	Papua New Guinea
	Paraguay
	Peru
	Peru
	Peru
	Philippines
	Rwanda
	Rwanda
	Seychelles
	Sierra Leone
	South Africa
	Sri Lanka
	St. Lucia
	Tanzania
	Thailand
	Trinidad and Tobago
	Uganda
	Vietnam
	Zambia
	Zimbabwe

World Classroom Publication

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was for the  (a) production and design, including payments to Cog Design, and  (b) distribution to schools of the The World Classroom publication.

Gareth Thomas: The cost for  (a) the production and design of The World Classroom (including payments to Cog Design) was £13,203.53. There is a Welsh language version of this publication in production; costs are yet to be finalised.
	 (b) DFID does not distribute publications directly to schools as per the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) guidelines. The document has been distributed to Development Education Centres and other partner organisations and this has come to £451.07 to date.

World Classroom Publication

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many World Classroom publications have been delivered to schools in the UK to date.

Gareth Thomas: 20,000 copies of the World Classroom were printed and distribution began on 8 January 2007. It is too early to say how many copies have yet been received by schools.
	Copies were sent to DFID's regional education co-ordinators across the UK and they are taking responsibility for local distribution. DFID has also promoted the publication on its website and has closely collaborated with DfES, the Welsh Assembly Government, Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly for their assistance with distribution.

World Classroom Publication

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many civil servants in his Department worked to produce the World Classroom publication, broken down by pay band.

Gareth Thomas: Two DFID staff members worked on this publication in November and December, while also performing other wider ranging tasks required of them in their posts. A grade 8 (A3) staff member managed and produced the publication, overseen by a grade 6 (A1) line manager.

World Classroom Publication

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when preparation for his Department's the World Classroom publication commenced.

Gareth Thomas: Preparation of World Classroom began following an initial meeting between DFID and Treasury officials on 20 November 2006.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abandoned Vehicles

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to reduce the number of abandoned cars; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of abandoned vehicles has significantly reduced over the last few years. DEFRA's Waste Data Flow survey shows that there has been a 58 per cent. reduction from 294,000 in 2002-03 to an estimated 126,000 in 2005-06.
	The end-of-life vehicle directive (ELV) sets out measures to recycle and reuse end-of-life vehicles and their components to reduce the amount of waste sent for disposal. The producer responsibility obligations mean that, since 1 January 2007, vehicle producers have been required to make available an adequate network of facilities where last owners can receive free take-back for their vehicles.
	Best Value Performance Indicator 218 was introduced to record the percentage of vehicles investigated within 24 hours of the report being received and the percentage of vehicles being removed within 24 hours of being legally entitled to do so. This will encourage local authorities to clear vehicles from the road as quickly as possible and therefore reduce the probability of arson and associated antisocial behaviour. This is a mandatory local area agreement indicator for all local authorities in receipt of Neighbourhood Renewal funding.
	The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 gives local authorities more powers to deal with abandoned cars. All vehicles abandoned on a road can now be removed as soon as they are identified. The definition of 'road' has been widened, so abandoned vehicles can be removed immediately from any road. Rules on disposing of abandoned vehicles have been simplified. Abandoned vehicles that are only fit for destruction, or those that do not display a license or number plate, can now be destroyed immediately. If local authorities are unable to find the owner of a vehicle, or if the owner does not collect the vehicle within seven days of being contacted, the vehicle can be disposed of. Also, local authorities can impose fixed penalties of £200, in lieu of prosecution, if the owner of an abandoned vehicle can be identified.
	DEFRA is also working closely with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to increase the percentage of vehicles that are registered. The introduction of continuous registration and the statutory off-road notice have made it easier to provide a clear picture of vehicle ownership through the vehicle register. 93 local authorities have received training and devolved powers from the DVLA to remove unlicensed vehicles from the road. It is often unlicensed vehicles that end up abandoned and/or are involved in criminal activity and therefore the quicker they are identified and removed the better. It is likely that the number of abandoned vehicles will continue to decrease as the percentage of unlicensed vehicles is reduced.

Agricultural Land

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of land in  (a) England and  (b) each EU member state is devoted to agricultural use.

Barry Gardiner: In 2005, 75 per cent. of land in England, including common land, was on an agricultural holding. The proportion across the whole of the UK is 77 per cent.
	EU-wide figures are available excluding common land. These are shown in the table as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Member state  Land on agricultural holdings (excluding common land) as a proportion of total land, 2005 
			 Austria 80 
			 United Kingdom 69 
			 Czech Republic 66 
			 Denmark 66 
			 Ireland 66 
			 Hungary 66 
			 Spain 65 
			 Slovakia 64 
			 Netherlands 60 
			 Italy 59 
			 Poland 56 
			 Germany 53 
			 Luxembourg 53 
			 Portugal 52 
			 Lithuania 50 
			 Latvia 48 
			 Belgium 46 
			 France 46 
			 Slovenia 46 
			 Malta 37 
			 Greece 33 
			 Cyprus 33 
			 Estonia 26 
			 Finland 21 
			 Sweden 17 
			 Bulgaria — 
			 Romania — 
			  Notes: 1. The area of land on agricultural holdings is collected through the EU Farm Structure Survey. Common land is not included as part of this survey. Although the data is largely collected on a comparable basis in each member state, the threshold for the smallest agricultural holding to be included in the survey does vary. 2. The total land area figures are for 2003. 3. The area of land on agricultural holdings is not available on a comparable basis for Bulgaria and Romania.  Sources:  Agricultural land area—EU Farm Structure Survey, 2005; Total land area—OECD Statistical Year Book, 2006

Agricultural Waste Regulations

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures his Department has put in place to ensure that farmers are aware of their obligations under the Agricultural Waste Regulations.

Ben Bradshaw: The Environment Sensitive Farming programme, funded by Defra, holds workshops, seminars and farm walks for farmers and growers across all regions. The programme covers the Waste Management (England and Wales) Regulations 2006 (Agricultural Waste Regulations), advising farmers what they are required to do and helping them to minimise waste.
	The Environment Agency (EA) has published information and guidance to farmers on their obligations with regards to dealing with agricultural waste, including the document "Waste—you can handle it. New rules on agricultural waste". This is available from the EA's website at the following address:
	http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/pdf/GEHO1005BJPD-e-e.pdf.
	The EA has also set up a dedicated helpline for farmers and growers to offer advice and support on the new regulations.

Animal Welfare Act

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to announce a timetable for secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: During the passage of the Animal Welfare Act through Parliament, the noble Lord Rooker and I made a number of commitments for the introduction of secondary legislation. The following table outlines in full our intended timetable for the introduction of secondary legislation:
	
		
			  Issue  Proposed timetable 
			 Mutilations Regulations by April 2007 (to be introduced at same time as Act comes into force) 
			 Tail Docking Regulations by April 2007 (to be introduced at same time as Act comes into force) 
			 Racing Greyhounds Regulations by 2008 
			 Pet Fairs Regulations by 2008 
			 Primates as Pets Code of Practice by 2008 
			 Wild Animals in Circuses Regulations by 2008 
			 Cat Code Code of Practice by 2008 
			 Dog Code Code of Practice by 2008 
			 Pet shops Regulations and possible Code of Practice by 2008 
			 Game Birds Draft code of practice by end 2008 Coming into force 2009 
			 Animal (dog and cat) Boarding No commitment(1) 
			 Tethering of horses No commitment(1) 
			 Riding Schools No commitment(1) 
			 Livery Yards No commitment(1) 
			 Animal Sanctuaries No commitment(1) 
			 Performing Animals No commitment(1) 
			 (1) These regulations and codes will be introduced as soon as possible in line with available resources. Bringing any other issues forward may have a detrimental effect where commitments have already been given.

Bovine TB

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tests for TB have been carried out on badgers in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The Randomised Badger Culling Trial and the Seven Counties Road Traffic Accident Survey both finished in 2005. This meant there were no post-mortem examinations of badgers from these sources in 2006. However, a number of research projects were undertaken in 2006, which mainly involved sampling under anaesthesia and the culturing of samples taken for bovine TB from badgers that were released back to their setts. In addition, badgers found dead in an area surrounding a new diagnosis of TB in cattle (a "Potential Hotspot") in England were post-mortemed in 2006.
	In total, 973 tests were carried out on 589 badgers in England in 2006.

Carbon Emissions

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total carbon emissions of the UK were for  (a) domestic and  (b) international aviation in the most recent year for which information is available.

Ian Pearson: In 2004, UK domestic aviation reported in the UK inventory was about 0.64 million tonnes of carbon equivalent (MtCe) and international aviation reported as an information item was about 9.1 MtCe, representing a 77 per cent. and a 111 per cent. increase from 1990 levels, respectively.
	The impact of aviation on climate change is not limited to CO2 emissions. Although there is need for further research, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that the total climate change impact of aviation is between two and four times greater than that of its CO2 emissions alone. This is due to some of the other emissions released, including nitrous oxides, particulates and water vapour, and their specific effects at altitude.

Correspondence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many letters to his Department sent from hon. Members during Session 2005-06 remain unanswered, broken down by those which are  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three,  (d) four and  (e) over six months old.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA has no unanswered letters received from hon. Members in 2005.
	For 2006, the information requested is set out in the table as follows:
	
		
			  Number of months old  Number of unanswered letters  Percentage unanswered of the total received 
			 1 117 8.1 
			 2 39 2.9 
			 3 13 1.7 
			 4 8 0.4 
			 >6 10 0.1 
		
	
	During 2006, DEFRA received 13,777 letters from hon. Members. On 12 January 2007, 187 of these were unanswered and over a month old.

Dangerous Dogs

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to review the legislation on the control of dangerous dogs.

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to prohibit the ownership of a dog which is out of control in private.

Ben Bradshaw: We constantly review our legislation and will always consider suggestions for amending our laws. We work closely with the police, who are responsible for the enforcement of laws aimed at protecting the public from dogs that present a risk.

Devolved Administration Funding

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of his Department's budget re-allocations in 2006-07 will impact on funding streams which cover the devolved Administrations; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Department's budget re-allocations in 2006-07 did not impact on funding streams between DEFRA and the devolved Administrations.

Energy Efficiency

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the percentage of households that use energy saving light bulbs; and what plans he has to increase this proportion.

Ian Pearson: No reliable information is available about the percentage of UK households that use energy saving (compact fluorescent) light bulbs. However, the Government's Market Transformation Programme (MTP) estimates that the number of compact fluorescent light bulbs in use in UK homes rose from around 27 million in 2000 (5 per cent. of the total number of bulbs) to around 98 million (nearly 18 per cent. of the total) in 2005. This is equivalent to three energy saving bulbs per household.
	The Government recognises the need to further accelerate take-up of energy saving light bulbs and have a range of policies which aim to achieve this. These include:
	(i) mandatory energy labelling, endorsement and promotion of the most efficient bulbs via the Energy Saving Trust's Energy Saving Recommended scheme
	(ii) provision of a significant number of energy saving light bulbs to households by energy suppliers through the Energy Efficiency Commitment.
	Energy saving bulbs are also provided to eligible households through the Government's Warm Front Scheme.
	Further information on this Scheme can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/energy/hees/index.htm.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to introduce the fisheries quota management rules for 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: I am considering, with colleagues in the devolved Administrations, whether additional provisions are required in the quota management rules to deal with the recovery of quota following overfishing of pelagic stocks between 2001 and 2005. We will issue the quota management rules for 2007 as soon as this issue is resolved. In the meantime, we have informed the industry that the rules for 2006 will continue to apply until further notice.

Freshwater Fish Directive

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the net change in the use of energy likely to result from the Freshwater Fish Directive; and what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of the change in energy usage as a result of the implementation of the directive.

Ian Pearson: No estimate has been made of the net change in the amount of energy likely to result from the Freshwater Fish Directive. Therefore no assessment has been made of the environmental impact of the change in energy usage as a result of the implementation of the directive.

Fuel Poverty

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in tackling fuel poverty in households in the UK.

Ian Pearson: The Government's Fourth Annual Progress Report, published in June 2006, shows the latest available figures. This report indicated that, in 2004, around 2 million households were in fuel poverty in the UK with 1.5 million being classified as vulnerable, compared with around 6.5 and 5 million respectively in 1996. The report is available on the Defra website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/energy/fuelpov/index.htm
	We are aware of the challenges presented by rising energy prices and the fact that the impact of price rises over the last two years on the number of households in fuel poverty has yet to be reflected in the official statistics. The Government remain committed to work in this area to deliver our targets to eradicate fuel poverty.

Greenhouse Gases

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 212W, if he will place in the Library a copy of the findings of the recent consultancy work referred to.

Ben Bradshaw: The report requested is available via the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/topics/batteries/pdf/erm-lcareport0610.pdf
	As the document is of substantial length, in the interests of waste minimisation, I have not arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Greyhounds

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on the British Greyhound Racing Board guidance on transport cage sizes for greyhounds; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The British Greyhound Racing Board guidance, on which Defra was consulted, provides a level of detail above that contained in the European Union Welfare in transport Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005. It is therefore welcomed as a practical guide to the provision of good welfare. However, it is not a substitute for the rules set in the regulation, but a supplementary tool to aid compliance. Ultimately, the welfare in transport regulation must take precedence. This requires that the cage must be of an appropriate size to match the size of the dog.

Illegal Timber Imports

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take in 2007 to reduce the import of illegal timber into the UK.

Barry Gardiner: During 2007, the Government will continue to work, through bilateral and multi-lateral processes, to develop restrictions on the import of illegally harvested timber.
	The Government are working to implement the EU Forestry Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation which was adopted in 2005. This allows the EU to enter into Voluntary Partnership Agreements with timber producing countries, and will include a licensing system to identify legal products for export to the EU.
	A number of countries will be negotiating partnership agreements during 2007. Malaysia, Ghana and Indonesia have announced their intentions to proceed with formal negotiations, and several more countries are expected to confirm their intention to negotiate by the summer. The Department for International Development (DFID) is engaged in the negotiations together with the European Commission and other member states. DFID is also providing financial support to put in place reforms. The length of negotiations will vary, but we expect the first partnership agreement to be signed by the end of 2007.
	The EU FLEGT Action Plan required the assessment of potential additional legislative options to tackle imports of illegal timber into the EU. On 20 December 2006, the Commission launched a public consultation on this. The Government will review the applicability of the options presented, including their compatibility with World Trade Organisation rules, before deciding what, if any, additional measures to pursue at a national or EU level.
	Collaboration continues with other major consumer countries in the G8, China and the private sector. In particular, the UK Government's timber procurement policy, which requires all timber supplied to have derived from legally harvested trees, has become a beacon for other governments to tackle illegal logging through voluntary consumer action.

Livestock Identification

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on electronic identification of sheep.

Ben Bradshaw: European Council Regulation 21/2004 requires the introduction of electronic identification (EID) of sheep and goats from 1 January 2008. The European Commission is required to publish a report on the implementation of EID and proposals to confirm or amend the 2008 mandatory date. Their report has been delayed but is expected shortly.

Livestock Identification

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cost is of implementing EU Regulation 21/2004, on electronic identification, for an average-sized  (a) market and  (b) slaughterhouse.

Ben Bradshaw: In England, we have produced a partial Regulatory Impact Assessment on the introduction of electronic identification (EID) for sheep and goats. This document is a work in progress. However, current estimates are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Annual cost of EID: 
			   Breeding sheep only  All sheep 
			 Markets 0.51 1.22 
			 Slaughterhouses(1) 0.63 0.62 
			 (1) Excludes recovery costs of transponders. 
		
	
	These costs are based on current prices and it is expected that they will reduce considerably as technology improves and economies of scale are exploited.
	We do not hold information on the costs to average-sized markets and slaughterhouses.

Livestock Identification

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to apply for a derogation from EU Regulation 21/2004 on electronic identification.

Ben Bradshaw: Council Regulation 21/2004 provides a derogation from the need to electronically identify animals, where the total numbers of sheep and goats is less than 600,000 or where the total number of goats is less than 160,000. In the UK, as the number of sheep is above the threshold, we cannot take advantage of this derogation. We can, however, take advantage of the derogation for goats and will be consulting the industry on this.

Livestock Identification

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cost is of implementing EU Regulation 21/2004 on electronic identification on an average-sized flock of sheep.

Ben Bradshaw: England has produced a partial Regulatory Impact Assessment on the introduction of electronic identification (EID) for sheep and goats. This document is a work in progress. However, current estimates of the cost of implementing the regulation are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Severely disadvantaged area (SDA) farm (1,000 ewes)  Lowland farm (500 ewes)  Small lowland farm (200 ewes) 
			 EID—all sheep 1,909 1,277 1,002 
			 EID—breeding sheep only 1,313 736 619 
		
	
	These costs are based on current prices and there is an expectation that they will reduce considerably as technology improves and economies of scale are exploited.

Livestock Identification

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average size of a flock of sheep is in each European Union member state.

Ben Bradshaw: In the UK in 2005, a total of just under 24 million sheep and lambs were farmed on 88,990 holdings, giving an average flock size of 270.
	Due to the varying levels of sheep meat production across the European Union, and the fact that several member states farm sheep at a barely commercial level, there are no readily available records of average flock sizes for all member states.
	Figures are available for total sheep populations for each country and these are as follows:
	
		
			  Member state  2005 sheep population 
			 Belgium 146,000 
			 Czech Republic 189,000 
			 Denmark 84,000 
			 Germany 2,036,000 
			 Estonia 49,000 
			 Greece 9,176,000 
			 Spain 22,514,000 
			 France 8,760,000 
			 Irish Republic 4,257,000 
			 Italy 7,954,000 
			 Cyprus 268,000 
			 Latvia 42,000 
			 Lithuania 29,000 
			 Luxembourg 9,000 
			 Hungary 1,405,000 
			 Malta 15,000 
			 Netherlands 1,725,000 
			 Austria 326,000 
			 Poland 318,000 
			 Portugal 3,580,000 
			 Slovenia 129,000 
			 Slovakia 320,000 
			 Finland 84,000 
			 Sweden 480,000 
			 United Kingdom 23,933,000 
			 EU 25 total 87,828,000

Nappy Waste

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings officials of his Department have had with representatives from  (a) the disposable nappy industry and  (b) the Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacture Association on diverting nappy waste from landfill.

Ben Bradshaw: Officials from my Department met with representatives from the Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacture Association on 18 January and 21 November 2006. No recent meetings have been held with representatives from the disposable nappy industry.

Pollution

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) homes and  (b) gardens were flooded with sewage in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. It collects information from companies on internal sewer flooding each year. Ofwat began collecting information on external sewer flooding in 2003-04.
	Table one sets out the number of properties affected by internal sewer flooding in each of the last five years. This includes both household and non-household properties.
	Table two sets out the number of areas experiencing external flooding in each year since 2003-04. This includes highways, curtilages (i.e. gardens, outbuildings, driveways, garages, pathways etc.) and other areas such as car parks and public open spaces. Ofwat does not collect information which specifically relates to the number of gardens experiencing sewer flooding.
	
		
			  Table 1: Internal flooding 
			   Number of properties 
			 2001-02 4,957 
			 2002-03 5,327 
			 2003-04 3,358 
			 2004-05 4,942 
			 2005-06 4,922 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: External flooding 
			   Number of areas 
			 2003-04 20,571 
			 2004-05 24,370 
			 2005-06 24,561

Producer Responsibility

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to extend existing producer responsibility schemes to producers of single use products.

Ben Bradshaw: At present, DEFRA has no plans to extend existing producer responsibility schemes specifically to producers of single use products. However, the existing producer responsibility schemes (which cover products such as vehicles, packaging, electrical and electronic equipment, newspapers, magazines and direct mail) do already, in many cases, cover single use products.

Rabies

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence he will present to support the extension of the UK derogations from the EU Rabies Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Council Regulation 998/2003, on the non-commercial movement of pet animals, requires the European Commission to submit a report based on experience gained and risk evaluation. The report must be submitted to the European Parliament and Council, together with proposals for the future rabies regime for pets, by February 2007. The UK has submitted scientific and field information to contribute to the European Union review. The UK's own review of national rabies import controls is nearing completion and I expect to consider its conclusions shortly.

Rat Population

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the rat population in England and Wales.

Ben Bradshaw: The most recent estimate of the common rat ( Rattus norvegicus) population in England and Wales was a minimum of 5,240,000 individuals in England and 680,000 in Wales. These figures were established by a review that assessed the population and conservation status of all British mammals, published in 1995 and is also quoted in the UK Mammals Species Status and Population Trends report by the Tracking Mammals Partnership in 2005. A copy of the report can be found at the following weblink:
	http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/pub05_ukmammals _speciesstatusText_final.pdf
	The only recent objective national survey of rat presence in England is within the English House Condition Survey (EHCS). The 2001 survey revealed that 0.3 per cent. of properties had rats indoors and 2.9 per cent. had rats present outside. A copy of the report can be found at the following weblink:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/vertebrates/reports/English-house-survey-rodent-report.pdf

Rat Population

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Government are taking to control the rat population.

Ben Bradshaw: Under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that their districts are kept, as far as is practicable, free of rats and mice. To enable them to do so, the Act empowers local authorities to serve a notice on landowners or occupiers requiring them to take such steps as may be specified in the notice to destroy rodents on their land.
	The local authority has the power to enforce the duties of the owner or occupier and can use default powers to take those steps specified in a notice and recover any expenses reasonably incurred in doing so.

Recycling

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what incentives are provided by his Department to encourage manufacturing companies to switch from virgin pulp to recovered paper.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not provide specific incentives for manufacturers to switch from virgin pulp to recovered paper. However, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is working to create stable and efficient markets for recycled materials and products by removing the barriers to waste minimisation, re-use and recycling. WRAP'S recycled paper advocacy team is also working to increase demand for recycled paper which will help encourage manufacturing companies to move towards using recovered paper.
	It is likely that WRAP will prioritise additional work on paper in its 2007-08 work plans and their future business plan.

Recycling

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the increased export of UK recovered paper to China on the WRAP target for an additional 220,000 tonnes a year of increased recyclate use by the UK manufacturing sector by March 2008;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of increased export of UK recovered paper to China on companies who have already switched from using virgin pulp to recovered fibre;
	(3)  what steps are being taken to encourage the collection of high grade recovered paper from  (a) offices and  (b) schools and universities.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is commissioning a risk assessment report on the future of paper exports, which will outline the opportunities and risks associated with the export of paper, as well as future predictions and recommendations. This report will help inform WRAP's future work in this area. However, increased exports of recovered paper to China are unlikely to have a significant impact on WRAP's 2008 target to increase the use of all recyclates by the UK manufacturing sector by an additional 220,000 tonnes a year.
	In 2005, paper manufacturers within the UK used 4.5 million tonnes of recovered paper, while 1.5 million tonnes were exported to China. Since 2001, work by the WRAP has led to an extra 3 million tonnes of new recycling capacity, with at least another 1 million in the pipeline. It is also increasing demand for recycled materials across the public and private sectors. Capital funding from WRAP has provided an additional 320,000 tonnes of newsprint reprocessing capacity at the UPM Shotton paper mill—enough to recycle the newspapers and magazines from an extra 4 million households in the UK. In addition, manufactured newsprint in the UK is now made from 100 per cent. recycled fibre.
	WRAP's Recycled Paper Advocacy Team, launched in September 2006, is already working with a number of large companies and Government Departments to help them switch to using high quality recycled paper for their office requirements and printed publications. This includes work with a large number of blue chip companies with the potential to increase the use of recycled paper by up to 2,000 tonnes per week.
	WRAP is working to increase the levels of paper and other recyclates recovered from all sources (including businesses, schools and universities) and is due to launch the Schools Recycling Awareness Programme on 23 January.
	The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) recently held a consultation on a sustainable schools strategy and Defra will be working with DfES and other partners, including WRAP, following the consultation to help schools minimise, reuse, recycle and compost their waste. It is our intention as part of this work to issue guidance to schools to include issues around the definition of waste from schools and 'top ten tips'.

Recycling

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what tonnage of recovered paper was exported to China in each year since 2000.

Ben Bradshaw: The data requested are not available.
	Since recovered paper is classed as non-hazardous waste, or 'green material', it is not subject to the prior written notification and consent procedures which apply to exports of hazardous waste. Therefore the UK competent authorities, who are responsible for the controls that apply to exports of waste, do not have access to specific data on the tonnage of green materials exported from the UK.

Recycling

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made with the work of the Waste and Resources Action Programme on the collection and recycling of batteries; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is piloting portable waste battery collection schemes by working in partnership with a range of local authorities and not-for-profit organisations that already run recycling collection services. WRAP began trials of kerbside collection schemes in April 2006, initially covering over 350,000 households in a mixture of high-rise, urban and rural areas across the UK.
	A second set of collection trials started at the end of October 2006, where householders in two trial areas are now able to return their unwanted batteries to a range of participating retailers, where special collection containers have been provided.
	Further trials, including a postal return scheme for remote rural areas, and a number of community drop-off/bring schemes, should be started shortly.
	To date, it is estimated that the trials have collected over three to four million batteries (18.6 tonnes). Initial results from the trials can be found on the WRAP website at:
	http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/batteries/kerbside_trial/index.html.

Recycling

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to assess the relationship between increases in household recycling, reduced numbers of weekly refuse collection rounds by local authorities and increases in the rat population in urban areas; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: An independent, DEFRA-funded research study, carried out by Enviros Consulting and Cranfield University in 2006, concluded that there was no evidence of rises in rat populations resulting from alternate weekly collection of household refuse designed to increase levels of recycling.
	The study found that the influence of domestic waste management arrangements on rats is likely to be insignificant in comparison to other factors, such as the age of the property, the area (urban or rural), and the adequate upkeep of drains.
	The winter interim report for phase one of the study has been published and is available from DEFRA's Local Authority Support website at:
	http://lasupport.defra.gov.uk/ViewDocument_Image.aspx?Doc_ID=362
	Proper design of an alternate weekly collection (AWC) service should avoid any increase in nuisance to householders. The Waste and Resources Action Programme has published guidance for local authorities on the design and implementation of alternate weekly collection services, in order to minimise nuisance and health risks. This includes, for example, hygiene measures for bins.
	This is an important issue and DEFRA is supporting further research into this area. A report covering the summer period is currently under way and will be published soon.

Recycling and Reuse Credits

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of  (a) the willingness of local authorities to pay recycling and reuse credits to third parties and  (b) the proportion of such applications for credits which are refused by local authorities.

Ben Bradshaw: The updated guidance on the recycling credits scheme, issued in April 2006, reinforced that the Government expect all waste authorities to be predisposed to the payment of credits to third parties for recycling and reuse activity. The guidance was updated following a review of the existing arrangements and consultation on future options.
	No formal assessment has been made by my Department of the willingness of local authorities to pay recycling credits to third parties, or the proportion of such applications which are refused by local authorities. The revised guidance for the scheme made clear that all waste authorities should properly assess applications they receive, considering the social, environmental and economic benefits of the recycling/reuse activity. In addition, the guidance set out the circumstances whereby an application for credits may reasonably be refused. Under best practice guidelines, the local authority should also provide an explanation if an application for credits is refused.

Reservoirs

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the water levels are in reservoirs in each of the water company areas.

Ian Pearson: In England and Wales, overall reservoir storage is now normal or above normal for the time of year in the majority of the Environment Agency's regions. In the south west and Midlands regions, levels are slightly below normal. Many reservoirs are now full.
	The overall percentage full figures as of 10 January 2007 are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Region  Reservoir levels  Percentage full figures 
			 North East All key reservoirs or reservoir groups are at a normal level for the time of year 95 
			 North West Two key reservoirs or reservoir groups are now full. One reservoir is slightly below normal for the time of year 98 
			 Midlands One key reservoir is slightly below normal for the time of year 92 
			 Anglian All key reservoirs are normal or above for the time of year 92 
			 Thames All key reservoirs or reservoir groups are normal or above for the time of year 94 
			 Southern All key reservoirs are at a normal level for the time of year 92 
			 South West Two key reservoirs are below normal, one notably low 77 
			 EA Wales All key reservoirs or reservoir groups are normal or above for the time of year 99 
		
	
	Overall storage for England and Wales is 94 per cent.
	Reservoirs, however, provide only around 30 per cent. of water supply in the south east: around 70 per cent. is from groundwater. Groundwater levels are showing a more variable response to recent rainfall and are generally below those expected for the time of year; continued rain will be needed to restore groundwater to normal levels across the south east.

Shetland Fisheries

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which elements of state aid in support of the Shetlands fisheries are being challenged in the European Court of Justice; and what the total liability is.

Ben Bradshaw: The Commission is currently investigating payments made to the Shetland fisheries sector under four schemes:
	Modernisation of Fishing Vessels;
	Fish Factory Improvement;
	First Time Shareholders (in fishing vessel ownership); and
	Loan Assistance (for salmon farming and fish processing).
	The total payment through these schemes is £5.07 million.

South East Plan

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action he is taking to ensure that the South East Plan will be consistent with the assessment of resources under the River Basin Management Plan.

Ian Pearson: The first River Basin Management Plans will not be published until December 2009. The significant issues reports for the south east and Thames River Basin Districts, which precede these plans, are due to go out to consultation in July 2007. These reports will identify the main pressures, risks and impacts in the river basin and will include the consideration of water resources.
	In assessing available water resources and future demands, the Environment Agency, as the competent authority for the implementation of the directive, will be using the same data source (with some updating) that was used for the South East Plan exercise.

Statistics

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions in the last five years the publication date of statistics produced by his Department has been changed; what the  (a) subject of the statistics,  (b) (i) original and (ii) final date of publication and  (c) reason for the delay was in each case; and who took the decision to delay the publication in each case.

Barry Gardiner: In accordance with the National Statistics code of practice (2002), the head of profession for statistics in DEFRA has sole responsibility for determining, pre-announcing and, if necessary, altering the dates of publication of 'National Statistics' and other relevant statistics produced by the Department.
	Any decision to change a pre-announced publication date will be based on a range of professional considerations such as the completeness of the underlying data, their fitness for purpose, the need for consistency and coherence, the need to promote widespread access and informed debate, or any earlier accidental or wrongful release. In reaching their decision, the head of profession will also take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the 'National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices'. The code and its 12 supporting protocols are available in the Library of the House, and can also be accessed using the following address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp
	This Department has no comprehensive historical record of the occasions on which the head of profession changed a pre-announced publication date in the last five years.

Warm Front

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pensioners in Hendon have participated in the Warm Front scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: There have been 689 pensioners assisted in Hendon since the Warm Front Scheme commenced in June 2000.

Waste Resources Action Programme

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what target was set by the Waste Resources Action Programme for diverting nappy waste from landfill  (a) through the 25 local authorities schemes taking part in the Real Nappy Programme and  (b) the Real Nappy Programme as a whole including the awareness-raising initiatives;
	(2)  what volume of nappy waste was diverted from landfill  (a) by the 25 local authorities schemes taking part in the Real Nappy Programme and  (b) the Real Nappy Programme as a whole including the awareness-raising initiatives.

Ben Bradshaw: The target of the Waste and Resources Action Programme's (WRAP) Real Nappy Programme, set out in its business plan 2003-06, was to divert 35,000 tonnes of disposable nappy waste from landfill. No separate target was set for the 25 local authority schemes.
	WRAP'S Achievement Report, published on 4 October 2006, states that the programme diverted 23,000 tonnes of biodegradable nappy waste from landfill in England. This figure related to directly funded diversion schemes. No estimate was made for the amount that may have been diverted by the awareness raising and promotional aspects of the scheme.

WEEE Directive

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that sales of energy-saving light bulbs are not reduced by the exemption from the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive of traditional incandescent bulbs.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	We do not anticipate that the introduction of the WEEE regulations will have a negative impact on the sales of energy efficient light bulbs. Ultimately however it will be for the lamp industry to ensure that they remain priced at a level which does not adversely affect sales.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Trade Promotion

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to promote the interests of British business abroad.

Ian McCartney: UK Trade and Investment's new strategy maintains investor and export support for small and medium enterprises, inexperienced exporters and mature markets.
	Its new focus is on emerging economies. New services will include business access to Foreign and Commonwealth Office reporting.
	We will expand our Security Information Service for Businesses Overseas information service, negotiate new investment agreements and promote responsible and sustainable business.
	Furthermore the North Eastern Regional Development Agency currently offers services from its offices in Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Brussels, Illinois, Atlanta and California.

Kashmir

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on child trafficking in Kashmir in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Kim Howells: We are aware of media speculation, but the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan tells us that the claims of child trafficking have not been verified.
	Since December 2005 we have been working with the Government of Pakistan to build the capacity of their anti-trafficking units.
	We have received no other reports on child trafficking in Kashmir in the aftermath of the October 2005 earthquake.
	In November 2006, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade (Mr. McCartney) visited a UK-supported centre in Calcutta which supports the rehabilitation of women and trafficked children from South Asia.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to support the development of an effective constitutional role for the Opposition and Parliament following elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Geoff Hoon: We have worked closely with Congolese leaders throughout the peace process leading to last year's elections. We have been clear that Opposition politicians and Parliament have a vital role to play in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) democratic future. President Kabila has promised to create the political and legal space for the democratic opposition. We are offering UK advice and expertise to help build that capacity.
	It is important that we stay involved in the DRC. Getting the DRC right will have a huge impact on not only its 60 million inhabitants but also on the peace and security of the whole central African region. That's why we supported the election process to the tune of £35 million. We were the biggest bilateral donor—supporting the massive logistics effort, Congolese policing, the voter education and a free media.

Turkey

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on progress on negotiations regarding Turkey's possible accession to the EU.

Geoff Hoon: The Government believe that Turkey's accession is of strategic importance to the UK and to the EU. We were therefore pleased that the December 2006 General Affairs and External Relations Council agreed that the accession negotiations should continue and the chapters for which technical preparations have been completed will be opened.

Venezuela

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to improve UK-Venezuelan relations following the recent election victory of Hugo Chavez.

Geoff Hoon: We continue to engage actively with the Government of Venezuela. It is in the interests of both our Governments to work together on issues such as police reform and combating the illegal drugs trade. The UK also continues to highlight the importance we accord to issues such as media freedom.
	During his recent inauguration speech, President Chavez set out plans to do more to tackle corruption in Venezuela. Any such effort would provide a good basis for strengthening our cooperation on counter-narcotics.

Syria

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent change there has been in UK relations with Syria; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: UK relations with Syria have not changed recently. Through our embassy in Damascus, and with the Syrian embassy in London, we continue to urge Syria to play a constructive role in the Middle East. The visit to Syria by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's foreign policy adviser, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, in October 2006, was part of this.

Drugs Trade: Latin America

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with governments of Latin American countries on drug trafficking.

Kim Howells: The UK has regular contact with Latin American partners on drugs issues.
	Last October, I visited Colombia where I had meetings with the Vice President, and the Foreign and Defence Ministers. On the same trip, I also met with the Minister of Interior and the Head of the National Drugs Agency in Venezuela. These discussions focused on combating the flow of cocaine, and emphasised the importance we place on working with regional partners to tackle the illegal drugs trade. In November I met Vice President Santos at the Colombian Government's Shared Responsibility event in London. I also met with the Head of the Peruvian anti-drugs agency in November.

Horn of Africa

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the situation in the Horn of Africa.

Margaret Beckett: Tension in the Horn of Africa stems from the situation in Somalia. After years of lawlessness and little effective government, a historic opportunity now exists for a sustainable solution to Somalia's difficulties. We fully support Somalia's Transitional Federal government and Institutions in their efforts to find a lasting and inclusive political settlement, and to become an effective governing authority. The Transitional Federal Charter sets out a roadmap for a constitutional process and eventual transition to a democratically elected government. This is the framework within which the Transitional government should pursue a political process in Mogadishu. We are working with the Transitional government and Institutions, and our international partners, to help stabilise Somalia through the early deployment of a regional security force, restore governance through an inclusive political process, and rebuild Somalia through increased international assistance.

Somalia

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the situation in Somalia.

Margaret Beckett: After years of lawlessness and little effective government, a historic opportunity now exists for a sustainable solution to Somalia's difficulties. We fully support Somalia's Transitional Federal government and Institutions in their efforts to find a lasting and inclusive political settlement, and to become an effective governing authority. The Transitional Federal Charter sets out a roadmap for a constitutional process and eventual transition to a democratically elected government. This is the framework within which the Transitional government should pursue a political process in Mogadishu. We are working with the Transitional government and Institutions, and our international partners, to help stabilise Somalia through the early deployment of a regional security force, restore governance through an inclusive political process, and rebuild Somalia through increased international assistance.

Somalia

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects the Intergovernmental Authority on Development regional peace keeping force to Somalia to be deployed; and which countries are expected to provide the peacekeepers initially.

Ian McCartney: The African Union (AU) is playing a pro-active role in considering how to take forward the question of a possible international mission in Somalia. Uganda has already offered to contribute 1,000 to 1,500 personnel and we understand the AU is consulting other AU members who might contribute personnel. The Peace and Security council of the AU agreed on 8 January to reconvene shortly to finalise plans for the deployment of an international mission to Somalia working closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Transitional Federal government and other stakeholders. We are awaiting further details of their plans.

Somalia

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has received a report of the outcome of the meeting of the Somalia International Contact Group in Nairobi.

Ian McCartney: The UK is a member of the Somalia International Contact Group (ICG) and participated in the meeting in Nairobi. The group issued a communiqué, the main points of which included:
	that this was a historic opportunity for the Somali people to reach sustainable political solutions for Somalia, based on the Transitional Federal Charter;
	there was an urgent need to facilitate the deployment of a stabilisation force in Somalia based on UN Security Council Resolution 1725. It welcomed Uganda's offer to be part of this force;
	full support for the Transitional Federal Institutions/government in their efforts to lead an inclusive and representative political process in Somalia, as envisaged in the Transitional Charter, and to become an effective governing authority; and
	reaffirming the ICG's commitment to provide humanitarian assistance.

Somalia

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response she has made to the United States military action in Somalia; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: I refer my hon. Friend to the response my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 10 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 281-82.

Somalia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the detention of British citizens following the recent fighting in Somalia; and what plans she has to seek to effect their return to the UK.

Ian McCartney: We are aware of the media reports that British citizens have been detained following the recent fighting in Somalia. We are urgently seeking to corroborate those reports, including through our high commission in Nairobi and our embassy in Addis Ababa. We will consider next steps in the light of the information we receive.

Cuba

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on UK relations with Cuba.

Geoff Hoon: Recent changes in the leadership in Cuba have not so far led to evidence of change in Cuban government policy.
	The UK remains committed to the 1996 EU Common Position, which aims to encourage a process of peaceful transition to pluralist democracy and respect for human rights in Cuba
	The UK will continue to pursue constructive engagement with both the Cuban government and all other sectors of Cuban society.

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to promote further signatures to and ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Kim Howells: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified of the core human rights instruments. The UK continues to promote further signatures, ratification and implementation of the Convention and its two Optional Protocols both bilaterally and in multilateral fora. The UK works with EU partners and the Office of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights to increase compliance with the Convention.
	The UK has signed and ratified the Optional Protocol on Children and Armed Conflict. The UK has signed the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and is now in a position to ratify it. We are taking steps to complete ratification at the earliest opportunity.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has developed a strategy to guide our work on child rights. We will focus our work on promoting universal signature and ratification of relevant international instruments, working to eliminate violence against children and the worst forms of child labour.
	The FCO has revived our Child Rights panel of experts. The panel will meet quarterly to help inform policy decisions and advise on how to implement our strategy.
	The UK supports the aims of the Call for Action by child rights non-governmental organisations, calling for a child rights focus at the Human Rights Council.

Iraq

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the political situation in Iraq.

Kim Howells: The political situation remains challenging, with sectarian violence threatening to undermine the Iraqi Government's efforts to achieve security and national reconciliation.
	I welcome Prime Minister Maliki's commitment to restoring security in Baghdad, which is a vital step in improving the situation in the rest of the country. I also welcome revised US plans to support the Iraqi government, security forces and the reconstruction effort. UK continues to provide its full support.

Iraq

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the British Academy on the work of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq.

Kim Howells: Neither my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary nor I have made any representations to the British Academy on the work of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq.

Iraq

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has received on behalf of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq; and what assessment she has made of its role.

Kim Howells: Neither my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary nor I have received any representations on behalf of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq (BSAI).
	I value the work of the BSAI to maintain links with Iraqi institutions working to secure Iraq's ancient sites and antiquities. The BSAI is currently devoting its resources to assisting in the rebuilding of Iraq's heritage. The Government takes very seriously the need to respect and preserve Iraq's cultural heritage.

Iraq

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK Government has made to the Iraqi government in relation to its policy on the death sentence.

Kim Howells: Since the Iraqi Interim government re-introduced the death penalty with effect from 7 August 2004, the United Kingdom, together with the European Union, has regularly raised our policy of opposition to the death penalty at the highest level, including with the Iraqi President and Prime Minister. We repeated our view on a number of occasions immediately before and after Saddam Hussein's execution.

Iraq

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the security situation in Iraq.

Kim Howells: The nature of the security challenge is complex and varies across the country. In some areas, in particular in and around the capital, the security situation is grave, with an unacceptably high level of violence. 80 per cent. of the attacks in Iraq happen within a 30 mile radius of Baghdad. Improving security is the highest priority for both the Iraqi Government and the Coalition. Prime Minister Maliki has recognised that a large part of the solution lies in promoting national reconciliation as well as in military action. We strongly welcome his commitment in this area.

Iraq

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group report in the context of the development of British foreign policy.

Kim Howells: As my right hon. Friends the Foreign and Defence Secretaries have made clear we welcomed the Iraq Study Group's (ISG) report and broadly agree with its analysis of the security situation in Iraq. However the ISO's recommendations largely reflect our own strategy for our areas of responsibility and, throughout Iraq, our fundamental objectives remain the sameto boost capacity to deliver security and basic services to the Iraqi people.
	It is important to remember that this report was commissioned by and for the US government. Many of its detailed recommendations are particular to US foreign policy and/or conditions in US areas of responsibility in Iraq.

Iraq

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government has held discussions with  (a) the Iraqi Government,  (b) the United States Administration and  (c) United Kingdom-registered oil companies on the new production-sharing agreements covering the Iraqi oil industry.

Kim Howells: We are not aware of any new production-sharing agreements in Iraq, other than those that the Kurdish Regional Government has signed.
	A new national Hydrocarbons Law is in the process of being drafted in Iraq, which will determine what types of oil development contracts may be available in the future.

European Constitution

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

Geoff Hoon: We are in discussion with all our EU partners, including the German Presidency, regarding the future of the Constitutional Treaty. At present there is no consensus. The German Presidency has been asked by EU leaders to present a report to the European Council in June on possible next steps following consultation with all EU Governments. I set out the Government's approach in my written ministerial statement of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 10-11WS.

Middle East

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution she is making to efforts to prevent Iran and Syria from rearming Hezbollah with rockets in southern Lebanon.

Kim Howells: The UK worked hard at the UN to bring about UN Security Council Resolution 1701. This places an embargo on the unauthorised supply of arms to Lebanon. The UK is providing 47 Land Rovers to help the Lebanese Army implement Resolution 1701, including by patrolling the Syrian border more effectively. The UK also contributes funds to UN Interim Force in Lebanon, which is helping the Lebanese create a weapons-free zone in south Lebanon.

Middle East

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with EU counterparts on the situation in the Middle East.

Kim Howells: My right. hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with her EU counterparts to discuss the Middle East Peace Process.

Middle East

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being made to seek the assistance of Arab governments in securing an end to the attacks on Israel.

Kim Howells: We engage closely with Arab governments to advance the middle east peace process (MEPP). We have expressed our concerns to Palestinian President Abbas about Qassam rocket fire. The launching of rockets against Israeli civilian targets and all forms of violence must stop. Violence serves only to undermine the prospects for peace in the region.
	My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, as well as myself, have recently made trips to the region to discuss the MEPP with Arab governments.

Azerbaijan

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the Government of Azerbaijan on the imprisonment of Farhad Aliyev, with particular reference to his ability to receive proper medical care; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: We have discussed with the Azerbaijani authorities on a number of occasions the investigations involving Farhad Aliyev and others. We are concerned to hear of the continuing health problems experienced by Farhad Aliyev.
	We remind the authorities of the importance of handling these investigations and any subsequent trials transparently, promptly and fully in accordance with the law and with Azerbaijan's international commitments. We also remind the authorities of the need to ensure that the defendants' right of access to appropriate medical care is respected.

Azerbaijan

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of  (a) the independence of the judiciary and  (b) the ability of the political opposition to operate freely in Azerbaijan; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: International organisations including the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and Council of Europe have identified a number of shortcomings in the judicial system in Azerbaijan. The Ministry of Justice in Azerbaijan is taking important steps to improve the training of judges, but we assess that there is still much room for improvement in the conduct of the legal system.
	The political opposition faces significant impediments to its ability to operate freely in Azerbaijan. We have made our concerns known to the Government of Azerbaijan on a number of occasions, including during and after the 2005 parliamentary elections and during 2006.
	Democracy and the rule of law are highlighted as priority areas for reforms in an EU European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan for Azerbaijan, which was agreed and adopted in November 2006.

Bangladesh

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the political situation in Bangladesh.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a statement on the elections in Bangladesh on 11 January before the State of Emergency was declared. This is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1007029391629a=KArticleaid=1168349738843
	It is unfortunate that circumstances have subsequently arisen in which a State of Emergency has been declared. We urge that the full processes of democracy and civil rights be restored to the Bangladeshi people promptly. We broadly welcome the potential opportunity for conditions to be established which are conducive to credible and participative elections. We are monitoring developments closely.

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many women serve in the Royal Bermuda Regiment, in each rank.

Geoff Hoon: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have contacted the Bermuda Regiment directly and the Regiment has provided the following information: There are 13 female soldiers in the Bermuda Regiment:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Colour Sergeants 2 
			 Sergeants 3 
			 Corporals 3 
			 Lance Corporals 3 
			 Privates 2

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken towards an equipment replacement programme for the Royal Bermuda Regiment; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have contacted the Bermuda Regiment directly and the Regiment has provided the following information.
	The Government of Bermuda is currently considering a proposal for a comprehensive equipment replacement programme submitted by the Bermuda Regiment.

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of the Bermuda Regiment are in detention; and for how long in each case.

Geoff Hoon: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have contacted the Bermuda Regiment directly and the regiment has provided the following information:
	There are no members of the Bermuda Regiment currently in detention.

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the establishment strength of the Bermuda Regiment is, broken down by  (a) full-time officers and soldiers, indicating those seconded from other regiments and units,  (b) part-time officers and soldiers and  (c) conscripts.

Geoff Hoon: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have contacted the Bermuda Regiment directly and the Regiment has provided the following information: The establishment strength is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Total established strength 609 
			   
			 Officers full time (1)7 
			 Soldiers full time (2)21 
			   
			 Officers part time 22 
			 Soldiers part time 559 
			 (1 )1 x Loan Service Personnel.  (2 )2 x Loan Service Personnel. 
		
	
	There is no distinction made in the establishment between male conscripts and volunteers.

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many women serve in the Bermuda Regiment; and how many of those were conscripted.

Geoff Hoon: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have contacted the Bermuda Regiment directly and the Regiment has provided the following information.
	Thirteen women are currently serving in the Bermuda Regiment. There is no conscription for women.

Bermuda

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of conscripts to the Bermuda Regiment did not respond to their conscription call-up in each year since 2000.

Geoff Hoon: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have contacted the Bermuda Regiment directly and the Regiment has provided the following information: The proportion for the years in question are:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2000 16 
			 2001 30 
			 2002 8 
			 2003 39 
			 2004 16 
			 2005 16 
			 2006 11

EU Acquis Communautaire

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's estimate is of the size of the 'acquis communautaire' of the European Union in  (a) pages,  (b) words and  (c) number of pieces of legislation.

Geoff Hoon: The acquis communautaire consists of the principles, practices, policies, obligations, objectives and legal and other acts that have been agreed or have developed over the years by the EU and the European Communities. These include, in particular, the EU treaties in their entirety, as well as all existing EU legislation and Court of Justice judgments.
	Given that the acquis inevitably evolves over time, it is not possible to give the exact figures requested. However, within the ongoing accession negotiations with Turkey, the acquis consists of 35 chapters covering the key topics.

EU Institutions and Agencies

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people are employed in each EU institution and agency.

Geoff Hoon: According to the draft budget for 2007 published by the Council Secretariat the number of employees in each EU institution in 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  Institution  Permanent posts  Temporary posts 
			 European Parliament 4,883 918 
			 Council 3,393 47 
			 Commission 23,910 486 
			 Court of Justice 1,346 411 
			 Court of Auditors 657 134 
			 European Economic and Social Committee 642 29 
			 Committee of the Regions 425 34 
			 European Ombudsman 13 44 
			 European Data-protection Supervisor 24 0 
		
	
	The Government do not hold any information on the number of employees in each EU agency. This information is held by Eurostat.

European External Action Service

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether preparatory work has been undertaken on the European External Action Service since 1 June 2005.

Geoff Hoon: The Commission and the Council Secretariat have confirmed to us that neither has done any preparatory work on the External Action Service since the opening of the 'period of reflection' in June 2005.
	During the UK presidency (July-December 2005), and at the request of some member states, we held informal bilateral discussions at a working level on the External Action Service. However, no work was taken forward because of a lack of consensus on how and whether to proceed and on whether there was any legal basis for such work. There has since been no attempt to reopen the issue among the member states.
	The External Action Service is an element of the constitutional treaty. At present there is no consensus among EU Governments on the future of the constitutional treaty. The German presidency has been asked by EU leaders to present a report to the European Council in June on possible next steps following consultation with all EU Governments. I set out the Government's approach in my written ministerial statement of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 10-11WS.

Gibraltar

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to persuade the Government of Gibraltar  (a) to reform the age of consent for male homosexual acts and  (b) to combat discrimination on grounds of race, disability and sexual orientation on the island.

Geoff Hoon: Gibraltar's new Constitution, which came into effect on 2 January 2007, represents several years of dialogue between the Government and the Government of Gibraltar on these and a wide range of other issues. Section 14.3 of the new Constitution covers all forms of discrimination.
	The Equal Opportunities Ordinance 2006 was passed by the Gibraltar House of Assembly on 8 December 2006. The Ordinance repeals and re-enacts the Equal Opportunities Ordinance 2004 to transpose into the law of Gibraltar Council Directive 2002/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 September 2002 amending Council Directive 76/207/EEC on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women as regards access to employment, vocational training and promotion, and working conditions, and to transpose into the law of Gibraltar the provisions on age and disability discrimination in Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation.
	This legislation strengthens existing provisions on race, disability and sexual orientation. Furthermore, the Citizen's Advice Bureau was, on 11 May 2006, given responsibility for the promotion of equal treatment on the grounds of sex and race by Legal Notice 58 of 2006.

Iran

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the Iranian nuclear programme.

Kim Howells: Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are of serious concern. Iran has continued its uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities in defiance of the United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors. As successive reports by the IAEA's Director-General have made clear, Iran's co-operation with the IAEA remains inadequate. Iran has not yet chosen to engage seriously with the generous proposals made by the E3+3 (France, Germany, UK + China, Russia, US) for a negotiated solution.
	Iran's failure to address international concerns, and to take the steps that would enable negotiations to begin on a long-term solution, left the Security Council no choice but to adopt a further Resolution on 23 December 2006. This imposes targeted and proportionate measures against Iran's most sensitive nuclear and missile activities. The Director-General of the IAEA will report by 21 February on Iran's compliance. If Iran has not by then complied, the Security Council has agreed to impose further measures; the Council has also said that it will suspend the implementation of measures if and for as long as Iran suspends all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.

Malawi

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response she has made to the decision by the Malawi High Court to refuse permission for Malawi's Vice-President Cassim Chilumpha to travel to the UK for medical treatment; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Justice Mclean Kamwambe of the High Court of Malawi ruled on 9 January that it would not be in the interest of justice to let Vice-President Chilumpha travel to the UK. Chilumpha is currently on bail. Bail conditions are a matter for the Malawian courts. We are aware that there is the possibility of an appeal and continue to monitor the situation closely.

Non-proliferation Treaty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals for action to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the declared nuclear weapons states her Department is preparing for the Government to present to the Preparatory Committee meeting in May of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review.

Kim Howells: The Government are strongly committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The UK is determined to make every effort to ensure that this review cycle results in a positive and substantive final document. We will work with allies and EU partners at the May 2007 NPT Preparatory Committee to lay the groundwork for this. We have already made a contribution by announcing, in the White Paper on the Future of the UK's Nuclear Deterrent, a further 20 per cent. cut in our warhead stockpile.

Overseas Convictions/Arrests

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of British citizens arrested abroad were dealt with by consular staff in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage resulted in a conviction, broken down by country.

Kim Howells: holding answer 15 January 2007
	The following table provides a figure for the number of new detentions of British nationals overseas each year for the past 10 years which consular officials have dealt with. Details of those in detention who are subsequently convicted of an offence are held on individual case files but we do not maintain central statistics. As at 30 September 2006, we were aware of 2,421 British nationals in detention overseas, either on remand or serving a custodial sentence.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1996 5,639 
			 1997 6,039 
			 1998 6,159 
			 1999 6,501 
			 2000 8,758 
			 2001 7,861 
			 2002 6,501 
			 2003-04 6,744 
			 2004-05 5,227 
			 2005-06 4,814 
		
	
	We are able to provide a breakdown by country of those detainees contacted by consular staff for the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			  Country  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Afghanistan 9 3 
			 Albania 1 0 
			 Algeria 0 0 
			 Angola 0 0 
			 Antigua and Barbuda 17 11 
			 Argentina 2 8 
			 Armenia 0 0 
			 Australia 39 41 
			 Austria 8 9 
			 Azerbaijan 3 1 
			 Bahamas 10 2 
			 Bahrain 0 0 
			 Bangladesh 10 12 
			 Barbados 3 15 
			 Belarus 1 1 
			 Belgium 61 35 
			 Belize 4 1 
			 Bolivia 3 4 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 2 
			 Botswana 0 2 
			 Brazil 13 7 
			 Brunei 0 1 
			 Bulgaria 4 15 
			 Burma 0 0 
			 Cambodia 17 5 
			 Cameroon 0 1 
			 Canada 29 60 
			 Cayman Islands 0 3 
			 Chile 0 0 
			 China 86 42 
			 Colombia 3 1 
			 Congo (Democratic Republic) 0 0 
			 Costa Rica 4 2 
			 Croatia 15 6 
			 Cuba 2 0 
			 Cyprus 194 180 
			 Czech Republic 42 22 
			 Denmark 12 31 
			 Djibouti 0 0 
			 Dominican Republic 7 3 
			 East Timor 0 0 
			 Ecuador 11 2 
			 Egypt 33 38 
			 Eritrea 0 0 
			 Estonia 0 4 
			 Ethiopia 3 3 
			 Fiji 0 0 
			 Finland 6 3 
			 France 118 103 
			 Gambia 11 7 
			 Georgia 0 0 
			 Germany 156 188 
			 Ghana 8 3 
			 Greece 133 200 
			 Grenada 6 6 
			 Guatemala 0 1 
			 Guinea 0 0 
			 Guyana 3 1 
			 Hungary 5 3 
			 Iceland 1 1 
			 India 25 24 
			 Indonesia 9 14 
			 Iran 0 0 
			 Iraq 12 29 
			 Ireland 26 46 
			 Israel 10 5 
			 Italy 20 23 
			 Jamaica 132 117 
			 Japan 71 79 
			 Jerusalem 16 12 
			 Jordan 7 9 
			 Kazakhstan 0 0 
			 Kenya 29 21 
			 Kuwait 17 14 
			 Laos 1 0 
			 Latvia 3 4 
			 Lebanon 7 11 
			 Lesotho 0 0 
			 Libya 1 2 
			 Lithuania 5 1 
			 Luxembourg 4 2 
			 Macedonia 0 0 
			 Madagascar 0 0 
			 Malawi 1 0 
			 Malaysia 9 10 
			 Mali 0 0 
			 Malta 1 3 
			 Mauritius 3 6 
			 Mexico 41 22 
			 Moldova 0 1 
			 Mongolia 0 0 
			 Morocco 17 8 
			 Mozambique 4 0 
			 Namibia 1 0 
			 Nepal 4 1 
			 Netherlands 76 32 
			 New Zealand 5 5 
			 Nigeria 7 2 
			 North Korea 0 0 
			 Norway 21 9 
			 Oman 22 24 
			 Pakistan 15 22 
			 Panama 8 2 
			 Papua New Guinea 0 2 
			 Paraguay 3 0 
			 Peru 4 2 
			 Philippines 15 22 
			 Poland 15 31 
			 Portugal 72 18 
			 Qatar 21 26 
			 Romania 1 2 
			 Russia 4 1 
			 Rwanda 0 0 
			 Saudi Arabia 7 3 
			 Senegal 2 1 
			 Serbia 1 5 
			 Seychelles 0 1 
			 Sierra Leone 3 2 
			 Singapore 44 27 
			 Slovakia 5 3 
			 Slovenia 0 3 
			 Solomon Islands 0 0 
			 South Africa 8 17 
			 South Korea 10 9 
			 Spain 1,647 1,293 
			 Sri Lanka 1 5 
			 St. Lucia 7 4 
			 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1 1 
			 Sudan 0 5 
			 Swaziland 0 0 
			 Sweden 36 32 
			 Switzerland 4 20 
			 Syria 0 0 
			 Tajikistan 0 0 
			 Tanzania 5 2 
			 Thailand 87 98 
			 Tonga 0 0 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 16 10 
			 Tunisia 3 2 
			 Turkey 58 49 
			 Turkmenistan 0 0 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 0 
			 Uganda 0 1 
			 Ukraine 0 1 
			 United Arab Emirates 113 143 
			 Uruguay 1 1 
			 USA 1,272 1,305 
			 Uzbekistan 0 4 
			 Vanuatu 0 0 
			 Venezuela 10 5 
			 Vietnam 3 3 
			 Yemen 3 1 
			 Zambia 1 2 
			 Zimbabwe 20 3 
			 Total 5,227 4,814 
		
	
	From 2003-04, our information systems were brought in line with our financial systems based on the financial year, April to March. Until 2002, the calendar year was used.

Overseas Territories

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Orders in Council relating to the law in overseas territories she plans to bring forward during 2007; and if she will specify the purpose and overseas territory concerned in each case.

Geoff Hoon: There is no annual calendar of planned Orders in Council for the British Overseas Territories. Orders in Council are made on a case-by-case basis as necessary and appropriate, and usually after consultation with the Governments of the Overseas Territories. An example of this is the Anguilla Constitution (Amendment) Order 2007 which will amend the current Anguilla Constitution so as to give effect to police reforms requested by the Government of Anguilla. We intend to submit that Order in Council to the Privy Council at its meeting on 7 February 2007. Orders in Council implementing UN sanctions in the Overseas Territories are made pursuant to UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) and we expect a number of these over the coming months. For example, it is intended that an Order under the UN Act 1946 will be made at the 7 February meeting of the Privy Council to give effect in the Overseas Territories to the sanctions measures in UNSCR 1737 on Iran.

Pakistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of Pakistan's proposals to fence and mine the Afghan-Pakistani border; and what assessment she has made of the potential effect of this policy on insurgents operating in Pakistan.

Kim Howells: The UK recognises the efforts being made by Pakistan to curb cross-border infiltration on the Afghan-Pakistani border and its commitment to continue this work. The UK position on the use of landmines is well-known and we urge Pakistan to find solutions with less destructive long-term humanitarian consequences. We have not yet made an assessment of the potential effect of this proposal.

Pakistan

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with Pakistan on the laying of landmines on the Afghan border; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The subject was discussed when my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met President Musharraf in Pakistan on 19 November 2006. The UK recognises the efforts being made by Pakistan to curb cross-border infiltration on the Afghan-Pakistani border and its commitment to continue this work. The UK position on the use of landmines is well known and we urge Pakistan to find solutions with less destructive long-term humanitarian consequences.
	Officials remain in regular contact with both the Afghan and Pakistan governments about Taliban activity on their mutual border and border management issues. As part of a common effort to counter terrorism, the Government are providing training and capacity-building to the Pakistan authorities in their efforts to counter Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan. The Government are also considering how they might help both the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to manage border issues more effectively, in an effort to further reduce the Taliban threat.

Russia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on Russia-EU relations.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I regularly discuss aspects of the EU-Russia relationship with EU partners. EU Foreign Ministers together discussed EU-Russia relations at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) on 13 November 2006. EU Foreign Ministers will discuss external energy relations, including with Russia, at the GAERC on 22-23 January.

Scotland

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make an assessment of whether Scotland would automatically assume membership of the EU should it become an independent state.

Geoff Hoon: By virtue of the United Kingdom's EU membership, Scotland is part of the EU. If Scotland were to leave the UK, it would not automatically assume membership of the EU. The terms under which an independent Scotland might become a member of the EU would have to be negotiated.

Sri Lanka

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has received on violence against the Tamil population in Sri Lanka.

Kim Howells: In December 2006, I met with representatives of the Tamil community together with my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas. I am due to represent my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary at a meeting with my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) and concerned members of the Tamil community in the House on 17 January. In addition, I receive and reply to many written representations made by hon. Members on behalf of their constituents.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to press the UN for action against peace keeping troops stationed in southern Sudan who are alleged to have committed sexual offences.

Ian McCartney: The UK supports the actions of the UN Secretary-General to implement a 'zero-tolerance' approach to sexual exploitation and abuse in all UN Missions. The UN has launched an investigation into the recent allegations of rape and sexual abuse of children by peacekeepers in southern Sudan. The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peace Keeping Operations, Jane Holl Lute, intends that this will be a thorough exercise. A team of investigators is already working in Sudan. We await the team's conclusions.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission's report Weapons of Terror Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms, with particular reference to  (a) nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and  (b) the role of the Non-Proliferation Treaty structure and the comprehensive test ban treaty in disarmament and non-proliferation; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I was grateful to Hans Blix and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission for their thoughtful work in producing this report. Some of the Commission's recommendations on non-proliferation and disarmament have great merit, e.g. on Comprehensive Safeguards and the Additional Protocol. But not all remain relevant (e.g. on North Korea and Iran where recent UN Security Council Resolutions have changed priorities for action). I do not believe that a change in Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty institutional arrangements will bring about substantive change in the positions of states party to the treaty. Political will drives change in these areas. The UK continues to support early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Ratification by the remaining Annex II states is key.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces Officers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many lieutenant commanders there are in the Royal Navy; how many there were in 1997-98; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The following table provides strength figures for both untrained and trained Naval personnel at the paid rank of Lieutenant Commander.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1 October 1997 2,170 
			 1 October 2006 2,060 
			  Notes: 1. These figures include UK regular Naval personnel, including nursing services, but exclude full-time reserve personnel and activated reservists. 2. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 3. The latest available figures are for October 2006 and to compare like with like the 1997-98 figure as been taken as at October 1997.

Armed Forces: Special Dietary Requirements

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department takes to cater for special dietary requirements of armed forces personnel on the grounds of their  (a) religious belief and  (b) medical condition.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 15 January 2007
	The armed forces make every effort to cater for the special religious and medical dietary requirements of all personnel:
	 (a) halal, kosher and vegetarian meals can be provided by armed forces messes and are available in the form of operational ration packs for operations and exercises;
	 (b) the armed forces aim to meet, as far as possible, the needs of those personnel who, during their service, develop medical conditions such as coeliac disease or diabetes which require careful dietary management.

Child Care

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department offers a child care voucher scheme to  (a) the Department's staff and  (b) those serving in the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has four salary plus child care voucher schemes, which are open to qualifying civilian employees who work at the Army Pay Centre, Glasgow, the Defence Bills Agency, Liverpool, the War Ship Support Agency, Rosyth and the Defence Science Technology Laboratory. The introduction of salary sacrifice child care voucher schemes for all civilian and military staff is dependent on the full introduction of the Department's new pay systems scheduled for late autumn this year.

Consultants

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many security passes were issued by his Department for external consultants in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 15 January 2007
	Information is not held centrally on how many security passes have been issued in each year since 1997 and it would incur disproportionate cost to collate this data.

Electoral Registration

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place to facilitate the electoral registration of servicemen and women serving overseas; and what steps are being taken to increase the proportion of armed forces personnel who register to vote.

Derek Twigg: Provisions in the Electoral Administration Act 2006 allow all Service personnel and their spouses or civil partners who choose to register as Service voters to remain on the register for three years, without having to renew their registration. This helps Service personnel abroad in particular as it is covers the typical length of an overseas tour. In addition, Service declaration forms are distributed each year, as part of a combined information leaflet, to all military units in the UK and abroad, at the same time as the annual household canvass.
	The MOD works closely with the Electoral Commission and the DCA and runs an annual information campaign each autumn, culminating in a Service Electoral Registration Day which is held within military units. These activities are designed to encourage Service personnel and their families to register and to vote.

Gurkhas

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 May 2006,  Official Report, column 92WS, on Gurkhas, what progress his Department has made on the comprehensive review of the terms and conditions of service under which Gurkhas serve in the British Army; and when he expects to make a further statement to the House.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 15 January 2007
	Ministers have not yet reached a decision. An announcement will be made in due course.

Nuclear Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the factors enabling United States Ohio-class Trident submarines to have longer in-service lives than United Kingdom Vanguard submarines; and what lessons can be drawn from them for the benefit of the future nuclear deterrent;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of  (a) whether Vanguard submarines have typically operated (i) at a higher level of intensity and (ii) for longer periods at sea than United States Ohio-class Trident submarines and  (b) the effect of those factors upon the differential in-service lives of those submarines.

Des Browne: holding answer 11 December 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 1-4, 5-6 and 6-5 of the White Paper, 'The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent' (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006.
	When detailed concept work begins on a new class of SSBNs, we will take into account relevant lessons from the submarine-building experience of other countries, including the United States, as we would normally do on a programme of this kind.

Nuclear Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what he expects the projected in-service dates to be for each of the proposed new Trident submarines.

Des Browne: holding answer 11 December 2006
	As the Government stated in the White Paper, 'The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent' (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006, we expect that continuous deterrent patrols could no longer be assured from around 2024 if the first of the new submarines were not in place by then.
	The White Paper made clear that we are not yet in a position to make a firm judgment about how many submarines we require in future. It is too early to determine subsequent in-service dates.

RAF Aircraft

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total number of aircraft in the RAF was in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2006, broken down by aircraft type.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 9 January 2007
	The following table shows the number of RAF aircraft that were planned to be in service at the end of March of each year.
	
		
			   March 1997  March 2006 
			 Fighter(l) 356 3794 
			 Training(2) 473 4075 
			 Tanker and Transport 1023 87 
			 Reconnaissance 19 206 
			 Maritime Patrol Aircraft 26 217 
			 Helicopters 167 1328 
			 (1) Increase in numbers from 1997 due to change in accounting methodology. (2) Includes trainer variants of Fighter aircraft. (3) Actual numbers were 100. The planned figure does not reflect the retirement of two BAe 125 aircraft. (4) Actual numbers were 372. The planned figure does not reflect the reduction of four Typhoon aircraft as a result of the contractual re-alignment of the Typhoon aircraft delivery schedule; a Tornado F3 that crashed in 2005; the reduction in two Harrier GR7s; one following a crash and one re-categorised as a test-bed aircraft by BAe systems. (5) Actual numbers were 395. The planned figure does not reflect the reduction of one Harrier as a result of the upgrade programme from Harrier T10 to T12, the fact that four Harrier T8s went out of service, the reduction of four Tucano aircraft and a reduction of three in overall glider numbers. (6) Actual numbers were 17. The Sentinel aircraft have not yet been delivered. (7) Actual numbers were 16. The planned figure does not reflect the fact that four Nimrod MR2 were retired for the MRA4 programme and for spares and one was retired as a result of the Medium Term Work Strands. (8) For JHC assets, figures shown are total operating fleet.

Royal Mail

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent using Royal Mail in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Service Accommodation

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual  (a) capital and  (b) resource cost has been for the building and maintenance of (i) single living accommodation and (ii) service families accommodation in each financial year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: Financial information on expenditure on Service families accommodation and elements of the single living accommodation programme since 2001-02 are held by Defence Estates and is currently being collated. Information about earlier years was not collected centrally or consistently and would not be reliable. I will write to the hon. Member when the information available has been collated and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Service Personnel

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision there is for  (a) free and  (b) subsidised access to (i) television, (ii) satellite television, (iii) internet and (iv) telephones for personnel in each of the services when (A) on operations abroad and (B) in their home base; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence does not usually subsidise telephone, television or internet for Service personnel while serving in Great Britain. Televisions in communal areas on bases are free but these are usually provided by non-public funds. Televisions in private and Service-provided accommodation have to be licensed and provided by the individuals (except in substitute single service accommodation). New single accommodation facilities are wired for satellite and internet but individuals pays their own subscriptions. Telephones in all accommodation are privately funded except in substitute single service accommodation where the line rental and any telephone equipment rental costs are reimbursed to the occupant.
	Service personnel overseas, either permanently based abroad or on operations, are entitled, where practical, to receive at no cost British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) radio and television. Internet and telephones are privately funded.
	While deployed on operations overseas the provision of welfare facilities is dependent on location. The MOD operational welfare package includes the provision of welfare telephones and 30 minutes of free calls per person per week to anywhere in the world. In addition free e-mail and internet access as well as British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) television and radio broadcasts may be provided. Furthermore, televisions, radios, DVD players, DVDs and video games may be available at no cost to the individual.
	Free internet and e-mail access during working hours is available at family centres to keep families in contact with their spouses when serving away from home. Some units also have funded an internet cafe where PCs, or access to WiFi, are non-publicly funded but usage has to be paid for by the individual.

TREASURY

Asset Recovery

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to ensure that the Assets Recovery Agency recovers enough assets to cover its annual budget in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	The 2006-07 budget for the Assets Recovery Agency is 15.5 million. The Agency's receipts for the period 1 April to 31 December total 14.4 million. The Agency has also been awarded final orders and settlements in a number of cases, and will be endeavouring to convert these into receipts before the end of the financial year. In addition, to date during this financial year the Agency has disrupted 65 criminal enterprises involving assets of 33.2 million. The Agency remains committed to all the targets listed in its Business Plan.
	These figures illustrate how the Agency's impact on the proceeds of crime has grown since it was set up in 2003, with an increasing number of its cases reaching conclusion.

Child Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual cost of ensuring that from April 2008 mothers-to-be will become eligible for child benefit from week 29 of their pregnancy.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 11 January 2007
	The estimated cost of the extension of child benefit to mothers-to-be from week 29 of their pregnancy from April 2009 is 120 million per year.

Child Trust Funds

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost in pence of each pound paid out from  (a) the Child Trust Fund and  (b) child benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The figures published in Annex C of the HM Revenue and Customs Annual Report show the cost in pence of each pound of child benefit and Child Trust Fund. These figures are produced by commissioning analysis of costs across the Department, under the tax and benefit categories that have been reported in the Annex. It is not possible to analyse any of these costs further without commissioning additional work across the Department. As a result a detailed answer to this question can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Child Trust Funds

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of fraud and error in the delivery of  (a) the child trust fund and  (b) child benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 July 2006 to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws),  Official Report, column 1344W.

Child Trust Funds

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the range of annual charges was for  (a) stakeholder and  (b) non-stakeholder approved child trust fund providers in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: Annual charges on stakeholder accounts are limited to 1.5 per cent. of the value of the account. Charges on non-stakeholder share accounts are not capped, and will vary. HMRC do not keep records of the different charges levied by providers, but do urge parents to ask about such charges when choosing an account.

Child Trust Funds

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of child trust fund accounts opened by the Government where the account may contravene the religious beliefs of the parents of the child; what steps he has taken to avoid such action; what alternative provision he has considered; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: Up to the end of September 2006, HMRC had opened a total of just over 0.5 million accounts for children. These are stakeholder accounts allocated on a rotational basis among 14 providers. HMRC does not have access to information on the religious beliefs of parents. Parents have 12 months from the receipt of their voucher to open an account of their choice and Sharia and ethical accounts are available. They may also move any Government allocated account at any time. The CTF information booklet and website detail Shari'a compliant and ethical CTF accounts available.

Civil Servants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of advertising civil servant positions in his Department was in each year since 1997.

John Healey: I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry) on 19 December,  Official Report, column 1739W.

Clostridium Difficile

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many death certificates mentioning clostridium difficile as an  (a) primary and  (b) secondary cause of death there have been in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many death certificates mentioning clostridium difficile as a (a) primary and (b) secondary cause of death there have been in each year since 1997. (115026)
	Special analyses of deaths involving Clostridium difficile are undertaken annually by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales. These are published in Health Statistics Quarterly. The latest year for which such figures are available is 2004. Information on the numbers of deaths between 1999 and 2004 involving C. difficile was published in Health Statistics Quarterly 30 in May 2006.(1)
	This report presents data for the number of death certificates which (a) mention C.  difficile and (b) list C.  difficile as the underlying cause of death. The table below is extracted from this report:
	
		
			  Number of death certificates in England and Wales which (i) mentioned clostridium difficile( 1)  and (ii) listed Clostridium difficile as the underlying cause of death( 2)  in 1999 and 2001-04( 3) 
			   (i) Certificates mentioning C. difficile  (ii) Certificates where C. difficile was the underlying cause of death 
			 1999 975 531 
			 2001 1,214 691 
			 2002 1,428 756 
			 2003 1,788 958 
			 2004 2,247 1,245 
			 (1) Identified using the methodology described in Office for National Statistics (2005) Report: Deaths involving Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 1999-2004. Health Statistics Quarterly 30, 56-60. (2) Excludes neonatal deaths. (3) Deaths registered in 1999, deaths occurring in 2001-04. 
		
	
	All deaths in England and Wales are coded by the ONS according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The Tenth revision (ICD-10) has been used by the ONS since 2001. In the Ninth revision of the ICD (ICD-9) there are no specific codes that would allow deaths mentioning C. diff to be easily identified. Identifying these deaths in ICD-9 would require extensive text searching of a very large number of death certificates. This could only be done at disproportionate cost. Data for 1997, 1998 and 2000 are therefore not available as ICD-9 was used in these years.
	Deaths registered in 1999 in England and Wales were coded to both ICD-9 and ICD-10 as part of a special study to compare the two ICD revisions, and have therefore been used to give an additional year of data on deaths involving C. diff.

Correspondence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters to his Department sent from hon. Members during Session 2005-06 remain unanswered, broken down by those which are  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three,  (d) four and  (e) over six months old.

John Healey: The Treasury has four letters remaining unanswered from the 2005-06 session. They were received in November 2006.

Debt

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt is owed by  (a) low and  (b) lower middle income country Governments to the UK through (i) the Export Credits Guarantee Department, including debts that have been rescheduled after Paris Club agreements and (ii) HM Treasury, broken down by country.

Edward Balls: The following table sets out ECGD claims balances, including debts that have been rescheduled in the Paris Club for low and lower middle income countries as at end November 2006. These debts arose from defaulted exported contracts that were insured or guaranteed by ECGD. There are no debts outstanding specifically to the Treasury.
	
		
			  Income category/market  Total ( million) 
			  Low income  
			 Burma 23 
			 Congo, Democratic People's Republic of 89 
			 Cote D'Ivoire 18 
			 Guinea 4 
			 Kenya 20 
			 Korea, Democratic Peoples Republic of 6 
			 Liberia 22 
			 Pakistan 6 
			 Sierra Leone 3 
			 Somalia 27 
			 Sudan 578 
			 Togo 23 
			 Vietnam 9 
			 Zimbabwe 103 
			   
			  Lower middle income  
			 Angola 134 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 
			 Congo 188 
			 Cuba 130 
			 Ecuador 44 
			 Egypt 145 
			 Indonesia 765 
			 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 29 
			 Iraq 530 
			 Jordan 352 
			 Macedonia 2 
			 Morocco 5 
			 Peru 55 
			 Philippines 1 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 174

Departmental Staff

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's civil servants work full-time to support the two special advisers assigned to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury; and what the pay bands are of each such civil servant.

John Healey: As part of their responsibilities, four full-time staff provide support to both the special advisers to the Chef Secretary and to the Chancellor of the Exchequer: one at range E, one at range D, one at range C and one at range B.

Employee Share Ownership

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is on employee share ownership schemes; and what estimate he has made of how many companies operate such schemes.

Edward Balls: The Government are committed to supporting employee share ownership, which benefits companies, employees and the economy.
	The Government encourage employee share ownership through three tax-advantaged share schemes: Save-As-You-Earn (SAYE), the Share Incentive Plan (SIP), and the Company Share Option Plan (CSOP).
	The Government also introduced the Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), designed to help small higher-risk companies recruit and retain employees who have the skills that will help the company to grow and succeed. EMI as a share option incentive also facilitates employee share ownership.
	Details on all the tax-advantaged share schemes, including the National Statistics on their usage, can be found at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/shareschemes/
	The Government have not made any estimate regarding how many companies operate non-tax-advantaged employee share schemes.

Employment

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) men and  (b) women were (i) International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployed, (ii) economically inactive and wanting work and (iii) economically inactive and not wanting work in each year since 1997; and how many were (A) aged 50 to 54, (B) aged 55 to 59, (C) aged 60 to 64 and (D) aged over 65 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the numbers of men and women who are unemployed and economically inactive (i) wanting a job and (ii) not wanting a job by age in each year since 1997. (114626)
	The eight tables attached give estimates of the numbers of men and women resident in the United Kingdom who are unemployed and economically inactive by gender and age. This includes inactive people who (i) want a job and (ii) do not want a job for the three months ending June each year since 1997. Comparable estimates are not available for 1998 and 2000.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Unemployed and inactive people by gender and age, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjustedThree months ending June 1997 
			  Thousand 
			   Unemployed  Inactive 
			   Total  Total  Wants job  Does not want job 
			  All persons 
			 Total 16+ 2,013 17,009 2,560 14,449 
			 50-54 147 781 206 574 
			 55-59 121 1,080 227 853 
			 60-64 62 1,688 208 1,481 
			 65+ 12 8,344 80 8,264 
			  Men 
			 Total 16+ 1,248 6,199 1,017 5,181 
			 50-54 93 264 95 168 
			 55-59 84 373 110 263 
			 60-64 55 650 135 515 
			 65+ 9 3,397 80 3,317 
			  Women 
			 Total 16+ 765 10,811 1,543 9,268 
			 50-54 54 517 111 406 
			 55-59 37 707 117 590 
			 60-64 7 1,038 73 965 
			 65+ 3 4,947 (1) 4,947 
			 (1) Estimates are taken from the LFS. Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Unemployed and inactive people by gender and age, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjustedThree months ending June 1999 
			  Thousand 
			   Unemployed  Inactive 
			   Total  Total  Wants job  Does not want job 
			  All persons 
			 Total 16+ 1,695 17,108 2,458 14,650 
			 50-54 124 822 229 592 
			 55-59 98 1,075 225 850 
			 60-64 53 1,779 204 1,574 
			 65+ 10 8,364 64 8,300 
			  Men 
			 Total 16+ 1,034 6,315 1,006 5,309 
			 50-54 79 275 102 173 
			 55-59 66 386 119 267 
			 60-64 44 687 140 547 
			 65+ 9 3,434 64 3,370 
			  Women 
			 Total 16+ 661 10,793 1,453 9,340 
			 50-54 45 546 127 419 
			 55-59 32 689 105 583 
			 60-64 9 1,092 64 1,028 
			 65+ 1 4,930 (1) 4,929 
			 (1) Estimates are taken from the LFS. Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Unemployed and inactive people by gender and age, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjustedThree months ending June 2001 
			  Thousand 
			   Unemployed  Inactive 
			   Total  Total  Wants job  Does not want job 
			  All persons 
			 Total 16+ 1,408 17,337 2,341 14,996 
			 50-54 93 808 218 590 
			 55-59 73 1,115 215 901 
			 60-64 40 1,749 180 1,569 
			 65+ 9 8,482 58 8,423 
			  Men 
			 Total 16+ 849 6,548 982 5,566 
			 50-54 61 268 101 167 
			 55-59 52 410 114 296 
			 60-64 35 686 118 568 
			 65+ 7 3,528 58 3,470 
			  Women 
			 Total 16+ 559 10,789 1,359 9,430 
			 50-54 32 540 116 423 
			 55-59 21 705 101 604 
			 60-64 5 1,063 62 1,002 
			 65+ 2 4,954 (1) 4,954 
			 (1) Estimates are taken from the LFS. Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Unemployed and inactive people by gender and age, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjustedThree months ending June 2002 
			  Thousand 
			   Unemployed  Inactive 
			   Total  Total  Wants job  Does not want job 
			  All persons 
			 Total 16+ 1,456 17,365 2,402 14,963 
			 50-54 104 762 202 560 
			 55-59 83 1,148 248 900 
			 60-64 42 1,741 180 1,561 
			 65+ 13 8,491 72 8,419 
			  Men 
			 Total 16+ 877 6,617 1,020 5,597 
			 50-54 62 266 92 174 
			 55-59 56 420 132 287 
			 60-64 33 687 118 569 
			 65+ 10 3,555 71 3,484 
			  Women 
			 Total 16+ 578 10,748 1,382 9,366 
			 50-54 42 495 109 386 
			 55-59 26 728 116 612 
			 60-64 9 1,054 62 992 
			 65+ 3 4,936 (1) 4,935 
			 (1) Estimates are taken from the LFS. Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Unemployed and inactive people by gender and age, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjustedThree months ending June 2003 
			  Thousand 
			   Unemployed  Inactive 
			   Total  Total  Wants job  Does not want job 
			  All persons 
			 Total 16+ 1,401 17,400 2,288 15,112 
			 50-54 98 699 190 509 
			 55-59 90 1,119 227 892 
			 60-64 28 1,707 179 1,529 
			 65+ 12 8,506 60 8,446 
			  Men 
			 Total 16+ 850 6,580 981 5,599 
			 50-54 58 239 89 150 
			 55-59 66 404 111 293 
			 60-64 23 632 106 526 
			 65+ 9 3,566 59 3,507 
			  Women 
			 Total 16+ 551 10,821 1,307 9,513 
			 50-54 40 460 100 359 
			 55-59 24 715 115 599 
			 60-64 5 1,075 73 1,002 
			 65+ 3 4,940 (1) 4,939 
			 (1) Estimates are taken from the LFS. Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6: Unemployed and inactive people by gender and age, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjustedThree months ending June 2004 
			  Thousand 
			   Unemployed  Inactive 
			   Total  Total  Wants job  Does not want job 
			  All persons 
			 Total 16+ 1,368 17,519 2,137 15,381 
			 50-54 81 700 170 529 
			 55-59 82 1,161 204 957 
			 60-64 36 1,712 152 1,560 
			 65+ 10 8,534 57 8,477 
			  Men 
			 Total 16+ 803 6,737 917 5,820 
			 50-54 51 245 84 161 
			 55-59 58 421 98 323 
			 60-64 30 650 101 549 
			 65+ 8 3,605 57 3,549 
			  Women 
			 Total 16+ 565 10,782 1,220 9,562 
			 50-54 30 454 86 368 
			 55-59 24 741 107 634 
			 60-64 6 1,062 51 1,011 
			 65+ 2 4,928 (1) 4,928 
			 (1) Estimates are taken from the LFS. Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 7: Unemployed and inactive people by gender and age, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjustedThree months ending June 2005 
			  Thousand 
			   Unemployed  Inactive 
			   Total  Total  Wants job  Does not want job 
			  All persons 
			 Total 16+ 1,364 17,600 2,195 15,405 
			 50-54 87 666 171 495 
			 55-59 76 1,145 196 949 
			 60-64 31 1,764 140 1,624 
			 65+ 10 8,560 60 8,499 
			  Men 
			 Total 16+ 792 6,826 903 5,923 
			 50-54 50 224 72 151 
			 55-59 51 427 93 334 
			 60-64 25 673 88 585 
			 65+ 7 3,639 60 3,579 
			  Women 
			 Total 16+ 573 10,774 1,292 9,482 
			 50-54 37 442 99 343 
			 55-59 25 718 103 615 
			 60-64 5 1,091 53 1,039 
			 65+ 3 4,920 (1) 4,920 
			 (1) Estimates are taken from the LFS. Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 8: Unemployed and inactive people by gender and age, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjustedThree months ending June 2006 
			  Thousand 
			   Unemployed  Inactive 
			   Total  Total  Wants job  Does not want job 
			  All persons 
			 Total 16+ 1,604 17,466 2,206 15,261 
			 50-54 96 640 168 472 
			 55-59 84 1,122 202 920 
			 60-64 38 1,786 184 1,602 
			 65+ 14 8,548 62 8,486 
			  Men 
			 Total 16+ 924 6,787 954 5,833 
			 50-54 57 213 70 143 
			 55-59 53 416 99 317 
			 60-64 26 689 115 574 
			 65+ 11 3,635 62 3,573 
			  Women 
			 Total 16+ 680 10,679 1,251 9,428 
			 50-54 39 427 98 329 
			 55-59 31 706 103 603 
			 60-64 12 1,096 68 1,028 
			 65+ 3 4,913 (1) 4,912 
			 (1) Estimates are taken from the LFS. Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Energy Prices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Department of Trade and Industry regarding trends in the cost of energy and fuel bills.

John Healey: HM Treasury has regular discussions with the Department of Trade and Industry on a wide range of topics, including energy costs.

Financial Services Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the timetable is for the Financial Services Authority's review of training and competence requirements within the financial services industry;
	(2)  whether the scope of the Financial Services Authority training and competence review will include an impact assessment of examination requirements introduced in relation to mortgage sales in October 2004.

Edward Balls: Following consultation, the FSA announced in March 2006 its intention that detailed rules on training and competence will not apply to those individuals in financial firms who deal only with wholesale customers.
	As part of its review of the training and competence regime, the FSA is now looking at the general role of examination requirements within the regime. The FSA will publish a consultation paper in February 2007.
	This will include an assessment of the costs and benefits of examinations as a means of assessing competence, as compared with other potential assessment methods. The consultation will include mortgage firms, but will not include a detailed analysis of the impact of specific examination requirements on particular sectors.
	The review will take account of the impact of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MIFID) due to be implemented in the UK in November 2007. The intention is that the removal of detailed training and competence rules for wholesale business, together with any further changes resulting from the wider review, will be made at the time MIFID is implemented.

Gender Equality

Julie Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to ensure that  (a) equality and  (b) gender equality is built into the 2007 comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Guidance to Departments for the 2007 comprehensive spending review has emphasised the Government's commitment to our long-term goal of ensuring fairness and opportunity for all. This commitment will be reflected in both the allocation of resources and the Public Service Agreements that will be announced in the Spending Review White Paper. In addition, Departments' spending plans for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 will reflect existing and forthcoming legislation relating to race, age, disability and gender.

Gershon Review

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much and what proportion of the post-Gershon Review savings were identified as non-cashable.

Stephen Timms: Sir Peter Gershon's Independent Review on Public Sector Efficiency identified scope to achieve efficiency annual gains of over 20 billion by 2007-08. Over 60 per cent. of these efficiency gains are expected to be cashable.

Global Schools Partnership

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional funding he has allocated to the Department for International Development's Global Schools Partnership programme for the 2006-07 financial year.

Edward Balls: In April 2006 the Secretary of State for International Development announced that funding to DFID's Global School Partnership programme would more than double to 7.5 million over the next three years. The Department for International Development allocated this additional funding from its departmental budget.

HM Revenue and Customs

James McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have left HM Revenue and Customs under  (a) Compulsory Early Retirement,  (b) Flexible Early Retirement and  (c) Approved Early Retirement since its formation in each of the last five years, broken down by grade.

Dawn Primarolo: The only early retirement scheme that has been in operation since the formation of HM Revenue and Customs is Approved Early Retirement. No staff have left under Compulsory Early Retirement or Flexible Early Retirement. The number of people who have retired under the scheme is 3,187. The breakdown by grade is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Grade  Number 
			 Administrative Assistant 236 
			 Assistant Officer 465 
			 Officer 1,003 
			 Higher Officer 695 
			 Senior Officer 399 
			 Grade 7 213 
			 Grade 6 138 
			 Senior Civil Service 38 
			 Total 3,187

HM Revenue and Customs

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs and the Inland Revenue spent on outside business consultancy services in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs was introduced in April 2006 replacing the former separate departments of HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue. The relevant figures for expenditure on consultancy services, excluding the Valuation Office Agency, are given in the following table:
	
		
			  000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 HM Customs and Excise 36,238 65,343  
			 Inland Revenue 58,928 70,465  
			 HM Revenue and Customs   105,981 
			 Total 95,166 135,808 105,981

HM Revenue and Customs

Iain Wright: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets he sets for the duration of telephone calls to HM Revenue and Customs contact centres; and how many redialled calls there were to each contact centre in each of the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not set any formal national targets for the duration of telephone calls to HM Revenue and Customs contact centres.
	For redialled calls, data are not maintained in the format requested.

HM Revenue and Customs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the implementation phase of the HM Revenue and Customs regional review programme to begin for the Outer London cluster; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC is currently conducting a consultation exercise, which will end on 21 February, on its initial proposals for reducing its use of accommodation in outer London. Subject to ministerial approval decisions will be announced in the spring and implementation will begin in the summer, continuing through to 2010.

HM Revenue and Customs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many of the headcount in the HM Revenue and Customs regional review programme for the Outer London cluster used are in each of the six areas which make up the cluster; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made  (a) in respect of the HM Revenue and Customs regional review programme of the proportion of the headcount reduction and  (b) the savings which will result from the reduction by (i) 2008 and (ii) 2010 which will fall within each of the six areas which make up the Outer London cluster; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Although HMRC offices within Outer London have been grouped into six areas, for most planning purposes Outer London is taken as a whole.
	The total number of HMRC staff working in Outer London at 1 October 2006 was 4,374, with the numbers estimated to fall to 3,800 by 2008 and to 3,300 by 2010.
	The proposed rationalisation of the HMRC estate in Outer London is estimated to create estate savings of approximately 5.7 million a year.

Information Supplements

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of  (a) providing and  (b) subsidising supplements giving information about the work of his Department in (i) trade journals and (ii) newspapers in each year since 1997-98, broken down by supplement title.

John Healey: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Inward Investment

Rob Marris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of foreign direct investment into the UK from  (a) takeovers,  (b) relocation of companies' head offices and  (c) the creation of new businesses in the UK in 2005-06.

John Healey: No direct estimates of FDI inflows by the categories specified are available. However, there are sources, such as the UK Inward Investment Report 2005-06 by UK Trade and Investment, which highlight details of UK inward investment.

NI Surpluses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether surpluses in the national insurance fund may be used for general Government expenditure.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 423W.

Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of staff in his Department attended meetings of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport steering group overseeing the Olympics cost review; and from which teams in his Department these staff members are.

John Healey: Most meetings of the steering group were attended by at least one member of the Devolved Countries and Regions team.

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department in 2006, broken down by  (a) ordinary written and  (b) named day; what percentage of ordinary written questions were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage of named day questions were answered by the specified date.

John Healey: In the 2005-06 parliamentary Session, 74.9 per cent. of the 1,029 named day questions which were tabled to the Treasury were answered on the day specified by the questioner and 80.1 per cent. of the 5,408 ordinary written questions were answered within a working week of tabling (as provided for in  Erskine May). The corresponding figures for the 2006-07 Session up to 31 December 2006 were 101 (60.4 per cent.) and 619 (75.8 per cent.), respectively.

Pensions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the conclusions of Department for Work and Pensions Research Report 395: Self-employment and retirement regarding comparative perceptions of investment in bricks and mortar and in financial products and of their value as sources of income after retirement; what assessment his Department has made of the implications of these perceptions for pensions and pension reform; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: Research Report 395: Self-employment and retirement was a small-scale qualitative research report with around 40 individuals to improve our understanding of the spectrum of views about planning and saving for retirement among (lower income) self-employed people, and what influences those views. My Department has not made any assessment of the conclusions of this report regarding general perceptions of investing in bricks and mortar as opposed to financial products, nor of its implications for pensions and pension reform.

Planning Gain Supplement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Office for National Statistics plans to classify Planning Gain Supplement as a tax.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibilities of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether the Office for National Statistics (ONS) intends to classify Planning Gain Supplement as a tax. (114821)
	ONS classifies transactions between sectors of the economy for the purposes of the national accounts. As yet ONS has not been asked to classify the proposed planning gain supplement. I anticipate that ONS will be asked to classify this proposal when it has been finalised.

Pre-release Statistics

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who is given pre-release access to  (a) market-sensitive and  (b) non-market-sensitive final statistics.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking who is given pre-release access to (a) market-sensitive and (b) non-market-sensitive final statistics. (114832)
	Every Department which is responsible for producing National Statistics has published a 'Statement of Compliance' with the National Statistics Code of Practice and its supporting Protocols. In each case, their Statement incorporates either (i) a link to, or (ii) guidance on how to obtain, a list which, in accordance with Section 4(b) of the 'National Statistics Code of Practice: Protocol on Release Practices', sets out 'for each statistical release, who is entitled to have privileged early access and for how long'. Annex A of the same Protocol lists which National Statistics have been categorised as 'market-sensitive'all of them published by the Office for National Statistics. Copies of the Code and Protocols are available in the Library of the House. The Compliance Statements for all Departments, as well as the list of all those individuals who receive pre-release access to the Office for National Statistics' releases, can be accessed using the following URL:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about_ns/cop/compliance.asp

Prudential Borrowing Scheme

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been borrowed by each Department under his Prudential Borrowing Scheme; what the annual rate of interest is; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Prudential Borrowing regime that came into effect on 1 April 2004 introduced greater freedom for individual local authorities to borrow for capital investment. Local authorities are now free to borrow for capital purposes subject to that borrowing being assessed against local prudential indicators that determine affordable and sustainable levels of debt. The Prudential Borrowing regime does not enable departments to undertake borrowing.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Mark Durkan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to restructure HM Revenue and Customs offices in Northern Ireland; and what he expects the effect of that restructuring to be on  (a) job numbers and  (b) office location.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC is undertaking a series of regional planning reviews of its accommodation to bring it into line with future operational requirements. Each review will include a consultation exercise. No decisions will be taken on the future of any individual office until after the completion of the consultation period in each region. More information on the programme is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/local/transforming-hmrc.htm

Royal Mail

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent using Royal Mail in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The Treasury's spending on postage was 46,000 in 2004-05 and 40,000 in 2005-06. For earlier years I refer to the answer given by the then Financial Secretary to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) on 21 February 2005,  Official Report, column 75W. This spending is primarily the franking of letters and packages for delivery by the Royal Mail, and delivery of ministerial pouches, also by the Royal Mail.

Sports Club Subscriptions

Sally Keeble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the provision of a tax rebate for children's subscriptions to sports clubs.

Dawn Primarolo: The extension of Gift Aid to junior subscriptions is one of a number of issues sports representative bodies have raised. Representations have been passed on to HM Treasury from DCMS and have been made to HMRC and DCMS officials as part of the Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) Development Forum. We keep all policy issues under review and discussions between officials and sports club representative bodies are ongoing.

The World Classroom

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on the World Classroom publication published on 4 January 2007;
	(2)  how many civil servants from his Department worked full-time to produce the World Classroom publication published on 4 January 2007, broken down by pay band.

Edward Balls: The cost of publishing the World Classroom pamphlet was met in full by the Department for International Development.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) plays in Scotland; and what services the VOA provides to agencies in Scotland.

Dawn Primarolo: In Scotland the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which is an Executive Agency of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), carries out property valuations and property-related services as set out in section 10 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency publishes an autumn performance report.

Dawn Primarolo: No, it does not.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many photographs are stored on the Valuation Office Agency's central database.

Dawn Primarolo: There are 25 million records for business and domestic properties, and there are 2.2 million photographs as at 20 November 2006.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 1731-2W, on departmental expenditure, what the reasons were for the change in the Valuation Office Agency's expenditure on vehicle maintenance between 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: A factor for the higher maintenance cost for 2005-06 was the servicing cycle of a number of pool cars nearing the end of their two-year lease and works required to meet the leasing obligations prior to handback of the cars to the leasing company.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on tackling the problem of antisocial behaviour in communities including in  (a) Coventry and  (b) the West Midlands.

Tony McNulty: The Home Department is in regular discussion with officials in the Department for Communities and Local Government about a range of matters including antisocial behaviour.
	The Respect Task Force is driving forward the delivery of cross-government commitments set out in the Respect Action Plan, to tackle antisocial behaviour and the causes of antisocial behaviour. The Department for Communities and Local Government is a significant partner in this.
	The Respect drive is being delivered nationally but the Respect Task Force is also focusing support in a number of key areas. In November, we announced additional funding for parenting support in 77 areas across the country, including Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Stoke on Trent and Walsall in the West Midlands.

Antisocial Behaviour

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers are available to deal with parents of children who display antisocial behaviour in their local communities.

Tony McNulty: Where assessment indicates this is in the interests of preventing a repetition of antisocial behaviour by children and young people up to the age of 17, Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) can apply for a parenting order under section 26 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. A parenting order can also be made under section eight of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 on conviction of a juvenile or where an antisocial behaviour order, child safety order or parental compensation order is made. A parenting order requires the parent/s to attend a parenting programme and to comply with specific requirements in the interests of preventing a repetition of the kind of behaviour that led to the order being made. Breach of a parenting order is a criminal offence and can result in a fine of up to 1,000 and/or a community sentence.
	YOTs also have statutory power, under section 25 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, to enter into parenting contracts, with parents whose child has engaged in, or is likely to engage in, criminal conduct or antisocial behaviour. The contract would include specific ways in which the parents agree to exercise control over the child and to attend a parenting programme. If parents refuse to enter into a contract or fail to comply with one, the YOT may apply for a parenting order.
	Parenting orders can also be made under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 following prosecution of parents for their child's non-attendance at school. Section 19 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 provides local authorities and schools with the power to enter into parenting contracts to help address children's behaviour and attendance at school. Section 20 of the Act provides that local authorities can also apply to the courts for a parenting order where a pupil has been excluded permanently or for more than one fixed period as a result of serious misbehaviour.
	These powers will be enhanced by the measures introduced in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 which from 1 September 2007 will: allow parenting contracts to be used as an earlier intervention (without the need for exclusion); enable parenting orders to be applied for by schools; and permit orders to be applied for where there has been serious misbehaviour but without the necessity of excluding the pupil.
	The Education and Inspections Act also introduces a new duty on schools to arrange reintegration interviews following a pupil's fixed period exclusion from school. This duty will apply to all fixed period exclusions of primary-aged pupils and those of more than five days of secondary-aged pupils. These interviews will enable the school to engage formally with the parent and so assist the pupil's reintegration and improvement in his or her behaviour. It will be mandatory for parents to attend these interviews and failure to do so will be a factor which a court may take into account in any future application for a parenting order. Parents will also be required to ensure that their child is not present in a public place, without reasonable justification, during school hours in the first five days of any exclusion from school. If parents fail to be responsible for their child's whereabouts during this time, they will commit an offence. They may discharge liability for the offence by paying a penalty notice; however, failure to pay could result in prosecution for the original offence.
	The Police and Justice Act 2006 enables a wider range of agencies, including local authorities and registered social landlords, to apply for parenting orders where children or young people have engaged in antisocial behaviour or to enter into parenting contracts where they have engaged in, or are likely to engage in, criminal conduct or antisocial behaviour. The Police and Justice Act 2006 will be commenced later this year.
	Parental Compensation Order (PCO) powers were commenced in 10 local authority areas on 20 July. The PCO is a civil order designed to reinforce the responsibilities of parents of children under the age of 10. It requires parents to provide compensation if a child under 10 takes or damages property in the course of anti-social behaviour or behaviour which, if he were over 10, would have constituted an offence, and where it would be desirable in the interests of preventing a repetition of the behaviour in question. Compensation is limited to 5,000. The PCO is made in the adult magistrates court on application by the local authority. The court has the same powers to enforce payment as it does for fines.

Data Protection

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on data-sharing within and across the public sector; and what safeguards are being considered to prevent misuse of data and to ensure that the privacy of the individual is not compromised.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government's information-sharing vision statement, published on 13 September 2006, set out our commitment to share information to expand opportunities for the most disadvantaged, fight crime and provide better public services for citizens and business, and in other instances where it is in the public interest. A copy of the statement may be found in the House Library.
	The safeguards to protect the privacy of the individual are provided by the Data Protection Act, the Human Rights Act and the law relating to breach of confidence, which balance individuals' privacy rights with the need for organisations to use personal information for legitimate purposes.
	The Government have consulted on a possible amendment to the Data Protection Act to increase the penalties for those who deliberately and wilfully misuse personal data. The consultation ended on 31 October and the Government's response will be published in due course.

Exhaust Noise

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles were prosecuted for  (a) exhaust and  (b) silencer systems that make excessive noise in the latest year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that in 2004 (latest available) there were 2,048 prosecutions for noise offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regs. 54-58, 97-99 combined.
	2005 data will be available later in 2007.

Injured Young Offenders

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of injury to young offenders were recorded in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) institution and  (b) type of injury.

John Reid: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Interpreters: Deaf People

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department is consulting  (a) deaf people and  (b) language service professionals for deaf people in the review by the Office of Criminal Justice Reform of the national guidance laid down by his Department regarding all interpreters in the criminal justice system.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Office for Criminal Justice Reform consulted representative bodies throughout its review of the National Guidance. Views of bodies representing deaf people and language services professionals were also sought on the draft guidance. The new agreement will reflect the input received from both groups.

Interpreters: Deaf People

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaf detainees were bailed due to failure to find a suitably qualified British Sign Language/English interpreter or lipspeaker in the last period for which figures are provided.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held centrally; data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on police and court remands does not include information on the reasons for bail being granted or refused.

Mini-motorbikes

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mini-motorbikes have been  (a) seized and  (b) crushed by local authorities since 1 August 2006, broken down by police authority; how many warnings have been issued to the riders of mini-motorbikes since 1 August broken down by police authority; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not collect this information centrally.

Operation Safeguard

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of Operation Safeguard was in 2006.

John Reid: The agreed protocol allows forces to submit their invoices in arrears during the period that Operation Safeguard is activated. Since only a small number of invoices have been received, we are unable to calculate the exact cost of the operation. At the present time it is estimated that the cost will be around 2.6 million a month. Operation Safeguard was implemented on 12 October.

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were not answered wholly or in part on grounds of disproportionate cost.

Tony McNulty: The information is not held in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the information regarding individually answered parliamentary questions is a matter of public record and can be located within the  Official Report.

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many written parliamentary questions to his Department in the 2005-06 session were answered with a reply that it had not been possible to reply before prorogation, or similar wording.

Tony McNulty: The Department answered 64 questions with the reply
	It has not been possible to reply before prorogation.
	Each of these questions was tabled on either 3, 6 or 7 November.

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department in 2006, broken down by  (a) ordinary written and  (b) named day; what percentage of ordinary written questions were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage of named day questions were answered by the specific date.

Tony McNulty: The Department aims to answer parliamentary questions within the time scales specified by Parliament. It publishes its performance statistics on answering PQs within its annual report. Copies of these reports can be found in the House Library.

Personal Files

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1949W, what the evidential basis is for believing national security could be at risk if an individual is told, on inquiry, whether a personal file exists or not.

Tony McNulty: If a terrorist or spy is told the Security Service holds personal data on him or herso revealing a covert investigation of themthe individual could change their behaviour to thwart that investigation. Alternatively, if told that there is no data held he or she could continue their activities confident in the knowledge that his or her activities had escaped detection. A neither-confirm-nor-deny response avoids both these risks.

PNDs

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans he has to extend the use of penalty notices for disorder amongst 10 to 15-year-olds in areas beyond the six pilot areas;
	(2)  how many penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) have been issued to 10 to 15-year-olds in each of the six pilot police force areas in respect of  (a) behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to others or using threatening words or behaviour,  (b) drunk and disorderly behaviour in a public place,  (c) destroying or damaging property up to the value of 500,  (d) retail theft under 200,  (e) sale of alcohol to a person under 18 years of age,  (f) selling alcohol to a drunken person,  (g) breach of a fireworks curfew,  (h) being drunk in a highway or consuming alcohol in a designated place and  (i) other offences; and how many such PNDs were (i) paid within 21 days, (ii) contested in court and (iii) registered as fines against the parent of the recipient.

Vernon Coaker: The evaluation of the pilots is currently under way. The final evaluation report will contain full details about the number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued during the pilots. No decisions about extending the pilot areas will be taken until the results of the evaluation have been considered.

PNDs

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people aged  (a) 16 to 17,  (b) 18 to 24 and  (c) 25 years and above who have received a penalty notice for disorder committed a further offence within a period of 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: The Office for Criminal Justice Reform does not hold information on the proportion of people who, having received a penalty notice for disorder, committed a further offence within a period of 12 months. Data are not collected to that level of detail.

PNDs

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to identify  (a) the recipients of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) and  (b) repeat offenders in receipt of PNDs.

Vernon Coaker: The penalty notice for disorder (PND) Scheme was set up under the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. Under the scheme, the police may issue a fixed penalty notice of either 50 or 80 for a range of minor disorder offences. Details of PND recipients are initially recorded on a database kept by the Central Ticket Office of an individual police force. Each force is responsible for maintaining their own local database; there is currently no national system for recording PNDs. However the Government do intend to establish a single national penalty notice processing system for all PNDs and road traffic tickets by September 2009.
	Where the PND is issued for a recordable offence, a record of the offender is also created on the Police National Computer (PNC) within 24 hours and updated within seven days: the PNC is available to officers 24 hours a day. Repeat offenders should be identified using PNC if they have committed recordable offences. For all other offences, while the current local database could also be interrogated to check if a PND has already been issued, it is normally only available during office hours and to those officers local to the force.
	A list of all PND offences is given in Table one, showing which are recordable.
	
		
			  Penalty notice for disorder offences 
			  PND offence code  CCCJS code  Act  Description  Notifiable/recordable 
			  Upper Tier 80
			 DA01 CL67008 s 5, Criminal Law Act 1967 Causing wasteful use of police time/wasting police time, Giving false report Recordable 
			 DA02(1) CA03007 s 127(2) of the Communications Act 2003 Send false message/persistently use a public electronic communications network in order to cause annoyance inconvenience or needless anxiety Recordable 
			 DA03(2) FS04009 s 49 of the Fire and Rescue Services At 2004 Knowingly give a false alarm to a person acting on behalf of a fire and rescue authority Recordable 
			 DA04(3) PU86107 s 5, Public Order Act 1986 Use words/conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress Notifiable and recordable 
			 DA05 EP75005 s 80, Explosives Act 1875 Fire/throw firework(s) Non-recordable 
			 DA06 CJ67002 s 91, Criminal Justice Act 1967 Drunk and disorderly in a public place Recordable 
			 DA07 
			 DA08 
			 DA09 
			 DA10 
			 DA11(4) CD71040 s1(1) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971 Destroying or damaging property (under 500) Notifiable and recordable 
			 DA12(4) TH68010 s1 of the Theft Act 1968 Theft (retail under 200) Notifiable and recordable 
			 DA13(5) FW04003 Fireworks Regulations 2004 under s11 of the Fireworks Act 2003 Breach of fireworks curfew (11pm-7am) Recordable 
			 DA14(5) FW04002 Fireworks Regulations 2004 under s11 of the Fireworks Act 2003 Possession of a category 4 firework Recordable 
			 DA15(5) FW04001 Fireworks Regulations 2004 under s11 of the Fireworks Act 2003 Possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework Recordable 
			 DA16(6) LG03036 Section 141 of the Licensing Act 2003 (c.17)(7) Sells or attempts to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk Recordable  (1 December 2005) 
			 DA17 LG03067 s 146(3) of the Licensing Act 2003(7) Supply of alcohol by or on behalf of a club to a person aged under 18 Recordable  (1 December 2005) 
			 DA18(4) LG03064 s 146(1) of the Licensing Act 2003(7) Sale of alcohol anywhere to a person under 18 Recordable  (1 December 2005) 
			 DA19(4) LG03081 s 149(3) of the licensing Act 2003(7) Buys or attempts to buy alcohol on behalf of person under 18 Recordable  (1 December 2005) 
			 DA20 LG03083 s 149(4) of the licensing Act 2003(7) Buys or attempts to buy alcohol for consumption on relevant premises by person under 18 Recordable  (1 December 2005) 
			 DA21(4) LG03088 s 151 of the licensing Act 2003(7) Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery Recordable  (1 December 2005) 
			  
			  Lower Tier 50
			 DB01 
			 DB02 
			 DB03 BT49005 s 55, British Transport Commission Act 1949 Trespass on a railway Non-recordable 
			 DB04 BT49006 s 56, British Transport Commission Act 1949 Throwing stones/matter/thing at a train Non-recordable 
			 DB05 LG72008 s 12, Licensing Act 1872 Drunk in highway Recordable 
			 DB06 
			 DB07 CJ01002 s 12, Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 Consume alcohol in designated public place, contrary to requirement by constable not to do so. Non-recordable 
			 DB08(4) EP90046 s 87(1) and (5) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Depositing and leave litter Non-recordable 
			 DB09 
			 DB10 
			 DB11 
			 DB12(4) LG03085 s 150(1) of the Licensing Act 2003(7) Consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises Recordable  (1 December 2005) 
			 DB13(4) LG03086 s 150(2) of the Licensing Act 2003(7) Allowing consumption of alcohol by a person under 18 on relevant premises Recordable  (1 December 2005) 
			 DB14(6) LG03079 Section 149(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (c. 17)(7) Buying or attempting to buy alcohol by a person under 18 Recordable  (1 December 2005) 
			 (1) Offence repealed by Communications Act 2003 with effect from 5 March 2004. (2) Offence repealed by Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 with effect from 1 October 2004. (3) Offence added with effect from 8 August 2002. (4) Offence added with effect from 1 November 2004. (5) Offence added with effect from 11 October 2004. (6) Offence added with effect from 4 April 2005. (7) New legislative reference with effect from 2 November 2005 on implementation of Licensing Act 2003.

Police

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the gross revenue expenditure was by Devon and Cornwall police authority in each year since 1992; and what the average expenditure was for all police authorities in England and Wales in each year.

Tony McNulty: The information requested where available is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Gross revenue expenditure 1991-92 to 2005-06 
			   million 
			   Devon and Cornwall  Gross average expenditure England and Wales 
			 1995-96 (1,2) 147,147,000 150,560,976 
			 1996-97 154,430,000 160,630,186 
			 1997-98 160,181,000 166,828,249 
			 1998-99 177,528,000 173,255,348 
			 1999-2000 180,189,000 181,402,162 
			 2000-01 187,709,000 193,255,441 
			 2001-02 208,734,000 208,624,186 
			 2002-03 226,575,000 218,568,813 
			 2003-04 231,085,000 236,697,395 
			 2004-05 264,664,000 267,763,069 
			 2005-06 (3) 265,734,000 272,717,651 
			 2006-07 (3) 269,011,000 286,918,348 
			 (1) Figures before 1995-96 were not reliable due to changes in police authority structures (2 )Essex not included (3 )Figures are estimates  Source:  Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

Police Response Times

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department  (a) collects and  (b) publishes on police response times in each police force area.

Tony McNulty: Data on police response times is not collected centrally. This is essentially an operational matter for the chief constable of each force.

Police Stations

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations there are in Suffolk; and how many there were in 1997.

Tony McNulty: The provision of police stations is a matter for the police authority and the chief constable.

Prison Service

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost to public funds was of the recently announced early retirement of the Prison Service London area manager; who authorised the retirement; for what reason the early retirement was authorised; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The pension benefits and associated costs falling to the Department, and reasons for leaving in individual early retirement cases, is information considered personal and would therefore not be provided. The decision to consider and authorise early retirement, taken in this case by the Home Office Board, was in accordance with the rules and criteria set out in the Civil Service Compensation Scheme governing early retirement.

Probation Service Recidivism

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reconviction rates for offenders placed under the supervison of the Probation Service were as measured over a period of two years from the start of the order.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent re-offending information for adults living in England and Wales was published in November 2006 as: Re-offending of Adults: results from the 2003 cohort, Home Office Statistical Bulletin 20/06. The report is available online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb2006.pdf
	The two year re-offending rate for the 2003 cohort was 57.6 per cent. Among offenders discharged from custody the re-offending rate was 66 per cent. and for offenders commencing a community sentence the re-offending rate was 53.4 per cent.

School Summit: New South Wales

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether representatives from his Department attended the recent school summit held by the Government of the State of New South Wales.

Tony McNulty: No Home Office Minister, in their official capacity, attended the recent school summit held by the Government of the State of New South Wales.

Single Non-emergency Phone Number

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the single non-emergency telephone number to be introduced in London; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The outcome of the evaluation and assessment of the introduction of the single non-emergency number, 101, in the initial five wave-one areas, to be completed by the autumn of 2007, will inform plans for future development of the service.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Astra

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent estimate he has made of the financial losses to individuals resulting from the collapse of Astra.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no recent estimate of the financial losses suffered by individuals in relation to Astra Holdings plc.

Energy Security

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the UK's energy security position in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2001 and  (c) 2005.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 15 January 2007
	The Department set up the Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group (JESS) with Ofgem in July 2001. Its first full report was published in July 2002 and it has subsequently published a further six reports, the most recent being in December 2006. The Secretary of State's first report to Parliament on the security of gas and electricity supply was also laid before the House in July 2005.
	In 1997 the best assessment of the UK's energy security position was published in the energy projections embodied in Energy Paper 65, published in March 1995.

Farepak

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on progress on his Department's inquiry into the collapse of Farepak; and when he expects the inquiry to be completed.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 11 January 2007
	The investigation is progressing satisfactorily. It will be completed as soon as possible consistent with the need for a thorough inquiry into the matters of concern. As my right hon. Friend knows, as soon as administrators were appointed for Farepak the Secretary of State announced an immediate investigation instead of waiting months for the administrators to report so that the facts could be established as soon as possible as a basis for further action.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which coal industry co-contractors have refused to agree settlements for coal health claims.

Malcolm Wicks: No contractors have refused to discuss liability. Negotiations continue with co-contractors and their representatives over the appropriate level of their contribution in some claims.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for miner's compensation have been registered by Avalon solicitors in the name of John Mann.

Malcolm Wicks: Four.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many coal health claims are outstanding because of delays by co-contractors; and how many such cases concern pension loss claims.

Malcolm Wicks: There are around 3,000 respiratory disease claims outstanding in which co-defendants are involved and 465 claims concerning pension loss. Of about 4,500 outstanding VWF general damages claims, nearly 4,000 involve co-defendants.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of all papers relating to the industrial disease claim of Mr. Stephen Todd of Bassetlaw constituency.

Malcolm Wicks: It would be inappropriate to place the requested papers in the Library of the House. The claim file is confidential and may contain personal data and material that are subject to Legal Professional Privilege.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of the minutes of the two meetings about the UDM/Vendside agreement between his Department and AMS Law and Moss Solicitors in 1998 and 1999.

Malcolm Wicks: Minutes of those meetings are not readily available. In any case, it is likely to be inappropriate to place the requested papers in the Library of the House. The minutes may be confidential and may contain personal data and material that are subject to Legal Professional Privilege.

Minimum Wage

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers have been affected by employers not paying the minimum wage in Copeland; and what estimate he has made of  (a) how much money this has withheld from the local economy and  (b) how much this has cost the Exchequer.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available and no such assessment has been made.

Minimum Wage

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate how many employers in  (a) Cumbria,  (b) West Cumbria and  (c) Copeland have avoided paying the minimum wage since its introduction.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available and no such assessment has been made.

Personal Debt

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases of personal insolvency were reported in the Greater London area in each year since 2000, broken down by London borough.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table records the numbers of individual bankruptcy orders in the London Region classified according to the Official Receivers' Office from 1999-2000 to 2005-06. Figures are not separately available for each London borough.
	
		
			  Numbers of bankruptcy orders recorded in the London Official Receivers offices. 1999-2000 to 2005-06 ( 1) 
			  Financial year totals  Bankruptcy Orders 
			 1999-2000 1,290 
			 2000-01 1,298 
			 2001-02 1,421 
			 2002-03 1,562 
			 2003-04 2,132 
			 2004-05(1) 4,910 
			 2005-06(1) 6,699 
			 (1) From 2004-05 Croydon Official Receiver's Office is classified under London Region.

Post Office Network

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether following his December statement post offices have been identified for closure; and what strategy is in place for recommending post offices for closure.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No decisions have been made on individual closures in any particular area of the UK.
	Post Office will develop specific proposals for post office closures and other changes to service provision after the national public consultation has ended and Government have reached their final decisions on future strategy for the post office network.

Post Office Network

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the 1.7 billion for the Post Office Network announced on 14 December 2006 will be spent, broken down by main budget heading.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government intend to provide up to 1.7 billion, subject to state aid clearance, between now and 2011 in support of the post office network.
	A detailed breakdown of our funding is not yet available and will be dependent, following the conclusion of Government's national consultation, on how Post Office Ltd. intends to implement the necessary restructuring of the network to meet the framework set by Government's proposals.

Post Office Network

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of possible post office closures in  (a) Morecambe and Lunesdale and  (b) Lancashire which are likely to result from network reduction plans.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No decisions have been made on individual closures in any particular area of the UK.
	Post Office Ltd. will develop specific proposals for post office closures and other changes to service provision after the national public consultation has ended and Government have reached their final decisions on future strategy for the post office network.

Royal Mail: Delivery Targets

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of first-class letters posted in the Peterborough city council unitary authority area met Royal Mail's delivery target in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked Adam Crozier, the chief executive of Royal Mail, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.

Supermarkets

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has made to the Competition Commission inquiry into supermarket procedures; and when the inquiry is expected to be completed.

Ian McCartney: Competition in the grocery sector is a matter for the independent competition authorities and not the DTI. The effect of the Enterprise Act 2002 was to remove Ministers from decisions on competition issues. Since the Act came into force in 2004, Ministers have had no formal role in the supermarket question and therefore have not made representations to the Competition Commission (CC).
	The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has asked the CC to investigate if any features of this market prevent, restrict or distort competition and if so, what action might be taken to remedy these. The CC has a statutory requirement to report within two years of a reference to it by the OFT. It is required to publish its final report by 8 May 2008, but is aiming to do so by October 2007. The current timetable for the inquiry can be found at
	www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/ref2006/grocery/core_timetable.htm

World Trade Organisation

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what meetings he has had on the possible accession to the World Trade Organisation of  (a) Ukraine and  (b) the Russian Federation.

Ian McCartney: I am replying as the Minister responsible for issues concerning WTO accession negotiations. On 14 September 2006 I met Deputy Minister Maxim Medvedkov of the Ministry of Economic Development and Russia's chief negotiator on WTO accession, to discuss Russia's progress towards their accession to the WTO. In addition, during 2006 DTI Ministers had a number of contacts with officials, UK business, EU ministerial colleagues and other contacts at which issues related to Russian or Ukrainian WTO accession would have been raised together with a range of other issues relevant to the business of the Department.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Advertising

Oliver Heald: To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much the House spent on advertising with  The Guardian newspaper, including online, in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: The House of Commons uses  The Guardian, to advertise some vacancies. For the financial year 2005-06 a total of 84,951.34 was spent with  The Guardian on placing advertisements, including online advertisements.

Private Dining Facilities

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission on what date sections 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 of the contract for hiring private dining facilities in the Commons were introduced.

Nick Harvey: Clauses 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 of the terms and conditions of booking for the private dining rooms in the House of Commons were introduced, as currently worded, in December 2000.

Private Dining Facilities

John Mann: To ask the honourable Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether there are  (a) exceptions and  (b) exemptions to clauses 6.1 and 6.2 of the contract for hiring private dining facilities in the Commons.

Nick Harvey: There are no agreed exceptions or exemptions to clause 6.1, which requires any publicity, invitation, circular, literature or announcement in connection with a function to prominently bear the event sponsor's name, and for such material to be submitted to the banqueting office for approval prior to publication. It is the responsibility of the sponsor to ensure compliance with this requirement. Clause 6.2 requires any media interest in the event to be notified in writing to the banqueting office. In practice inquiries from the media now tend to come by telephone and the banqueting office does not insist on written notification from the media. Such inquiries are referred to the event organiser.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which external consultants were used by  (a) her Department and  (b) each of its agencies in relation to private finance initiatives in 2005-06; and what the nature and cost of the work was in each case.

David Lammy: In relation to private finance initiatives in 2005-06;
	 (a) DCMS has not undertaken any such projects
	 (b) The Royal Parks undertook the following projects;
	 Richmond Park Golf Course
	33,000Bucknall AustinProject Management
	24,799Humberts LeisureMarketing
	1,500HawtreeGolf Course Design advice
	 Regent's Park New Sports Facility
	33,000Bucknall AustinProject Management
	5,682Turley AssociatesPlanning Advice
	1,183David Morley ArchitectsDesign work
	5,400John ChapmanLeisure Consultant
	All figures exclude VAT.

Digital Switchover

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures her Department has put in place  (a) to identify and  (b) to offer help under the targeted assistance scheme for digital switchover to (i) people with severe disabilities who do not claim disability benefit, (ii) people with mental health problems, (iii) people with learning disabilities, (iv) cancer patients, (v) people with autism, (vi) certified blind and partially sighted people and (vii) people under the age of 75 who have acquired mobility problems after the age of 65.

Shaun Woodward: holding answer 8 January 2007
	The Digital Switchover Help Scheme will cover:
	all households with one person aged 75 or over
	all households with one person with a significant disability in the relevant qualification period. This will be defined as being eligible for the following social security benefits: disability living allowance (including where the qualifying person is a child), attendance allowance, constant attendance allowance (CAA) under the industrial injuries disablement benefit scheme and CAA and war pensioners mobility supplement under the pre-2005 war pensions scheme.
	all households where one person is registered severely sight impaired/blind or where one person is registered sight impaired/partially sighted.
	The definition of household will follow the DWP definition of a benefit unit: a couple and any dependent children (aged under 16 or in full-time education). Non-dependent adults will be able to claim assistance in their own right.
	The Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Bill would enable the scheme operator to target eligible individuals making it easier for them to claim and so help to increase take-up. The scheme will be supported by targeted communications and will benefit from more generic switchover-related communications, which Digital UK is producing and which will increase as switchover nears.
	Digital UK will ensure, as part of its communications activities, that those hard-to-reach groups, particularly those who do not qualify for support from the Help Scheme, have adequate information available to support them through switchover.

Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 255W, on flags, for what reasons the St. George's Cross is not flown on Government buildings with two or more flag poles on days other than 23 April.

David Lammy: The St. George's Cross is flown on Government buildings with two or more flag poles on 23 April alongside the Union Flag to mark St. George's day.

Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 263W, on Trooping the Colour, for what reasons the flags of Her Majesty's Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories will not be displayed alongside the flags of the Commonwealth at the Trooping the Colour; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: During Trooping the Colour, only flags of Commonwealth countries are flown in Horse Guards Road. As explained in the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 263W, the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories are not member states of the Commonwealth so their flags are not flown.

Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 263W, on the Union Flag, for what reasons the Union Flag is not flown on days other than those noted in the answer.

David Lammy: The Union Flag is flown on Government buildings to mark specific national events including Remembrance day, Europe day, St. George's day, Her Majesty's Accession and Wedding day and birthdays of members of the royal family undertaking official duties.
	There are currently no plans to change this.

Heritage White Paper

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to publish the Heritage White Paper.

David Lammy: England and Wales will jointly publish a White Paper on heritage protection reform shortly. The White Paper will set out our proposals for a new heritage protection system that is simpler, more open and more flexible.

Licensing Act

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has received the final report from the Licensing Fees Review Panel; and when the report will be published.

Shaun Woodward: DCMS received the final report of the Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel on 12 December 2006. The Panel's conclusions and recommendations are being considered and assessed. Copies of the report will be placed in the Library of the House shortly.

Licensing Act

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department received the final report of the Independent Fees Review Panel on the Licensing Act 2003 and related legislation; when she expects to publish its findings; when her Department plans to respond to these findings; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Independent Fees Review Panel's final report was received by DCMS on 12 December. We are currently making an assessment of all their conclusions and recommendations and we will place copies of the report in the Library of the House shortly. Should any changes to the fees regime and related issues be required, there will be a full public consultation in order to help inform future policy.

Mallin Report

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which international basketball federations were consulted during the preparation of the Mallin Report.

Richard Caborn: The Mallin Review Group has consulted the Federation of International Basketball Associations (FIBA) during the preparation of the Mallin Basketball Review.
	FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by 213 national federations of basketball throughout the world.

Mallin Report

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Mallin Report on basketball will be published; what the total cost of the Mallin Report has been; from which budget the funding for the Mallin Report was drawn; and who was consulted during the preparation of the report.

Richard Caborn: The Mallin Basketball Report is now in draft stage and is due to be published in February.
	The total cost of the review so far is 86,060.64 excluding VAT. This funding is from the Sport England Whole Sport Plan modernisation budget.
	A full list of consultees will be published alongside the review, although I understand that around 85 people from a wide range of basketball organisations have been consulted so far.

Mallin Report

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who is responsible for the accuracy of the information displayed on the Mallin Basketball Review website.

Richard Caborn: The Mallin Review Group is responsible for the information on the Basketball Review website, members of which are listed on the site. The Mallin Review Group is led by Tony Mallin and comprises the following members: Stephen Redwood, Michael Sorkin, Martin Henlan, John Eady, Dr. Neil Tunnicliffe, David Henwood and Lisa Wainwright

Olympic Games

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the Government's latest estimate is for the numbers of homes to be built on the Olympic Park; and how many will contribute to the Government's building targets for zero carbon homes.

Richard Caborn: The Olympic Village is expected to provide in the order of 4,400 homes, subject to final International Olympic Committee requirements for the London 2012 Games themselves and subject to detailed planning. The final number of homes to be developed across the whole of the Olympic Park will be much larger, but will be determined at a later stage and will be subject to planning policies and guidance. The ODA's Sustainable Development Strategy will be published later this month, and will be providing information on the ODA's proposals for carbon reduction.

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many parliamentary questions were tabled to her Department in 2006, broken down by  (a) ordinary written and  (b) named day; what percentage of ordinary written questions were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage of named day questions were answered by the specified date.

David Lammy: A total of 2,173 written parliamentary questions were tabled to the Department in 2006, 1,731 of which were ordinary written and 442 were named day.
	A total of 75.1 per cent. (1,300) of ordinary written questions were answered within 10 working days and, 71.3 per cent. (315) of named day questions were answered by the specific date.
	Information is derived from the DCMS parliamentary questions database.
	DCMS aims to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and endeavours to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled. Unfortunately, this is not always possible but this Department makes every effort to achieve these timescales.

Royal Mail

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent using Royal Mail in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: In each of the last five years the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has spent the amounts listed as follows using Royal Mail.
	
		
			
			 2002 56,262 
			 2003 55,871 
			 2004 55,733 
			 2005 44,963 
			 2006 36,187

Statistics

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the process is for deciding the date of publication of statistics prepared by or relating to the Department; and who is involved in that process.

David Lammy: The National Statistics Code of Practice (2002)which serves as a model for all public sector statistical workestablished the principle that
	final responsibility for the content, format and timing of release of National Statistics
	rests with the Head of Profession for Statistics in each department. In reaching their decisions, Heads of Profession take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices.
	Copies of the Code and its 12 supporting Protocols are available in the Library of the House and can also be accessed using the following address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp

Statistics

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions in the last five years the publication date of statistics produced by her Department has been changed; what the  (a) subject of the statistics,  (b) (i) the original and (ii) final date of publication and (c) reason for the delay was in each case; and who took the decision to delay the publication in each case.

David Lammy: In accordance with the National Statistics Code of Practice (2002), the Head of Profession for Statistics in DCMS has sole responsibility for determining, pre-announcing and, if necessary, altering the dates of publication of National Statistics and other relevant statistics produced by the Department.
	Any decision to change a pre-announced publication date will be based on a range of professional considerations such as the completeness of the underlying data, their fitness for purpose, the need for consistency and coherence, the need to promote widespread access and informed debate, or any earlier accidental or wrongful release. In reaching their decision, the Head of Profession will also take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices. The Code and its 12 supporting Protocols are available in the Library of the House, and can also be accessed using the following address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp
	This Department has no historical record of the occasions on which the Head of Profession changed a pre-announced publication date in the last five years.

Tourism

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the economic impact of the number of foreign tourists visiting the UK during the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: During the calendar year 2005 (the last full year for which consolidated figures are available from the Office for National Statistics's International Passenger Survey), 30 million inbound visitors to the UK spent 14.2 billion in this country. Visitor numbers and spending for that year were up by 8 per cent. and 9 per cent. respectively, when compared to 2004.
	The latest available estimates from the survey are for the three months to November 2006. During this time 7.9 million inbound visitors spent 3.9 billionboth figures being significant increases on the 2005 figures for the same quarter.
	Since 2004, tourism's share of the national economy has been expressed in Gross Value Added, using Tourism Satellite Accounting methodology. The latest available figures for tourism's share of the total UK economy are for the calendar year 2003. For that year, domestic and inbound tourism receipts totalled 74.2 billion, which was 3.4 per cent. of the UK economyof which, inbound tourism receipts at 11.9 billion represented 0.55 per cent.

UEFA Cup

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if her Department will make representations to the Football Association to support Gibraltar's request to enter a team in the UEFA Cup.

Richard Caborn: I have no current plans to make any representations to the FA as this is a matter between the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and Gibraltar Football Association (GFA). I understand a final decision on GFA's request is due to be agreed at the UEFA Ordinary Congress in Dusseldorf on 25 and 26 January 2007.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Making Good Progress Document

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the future of the national curriculum assessments that take place at the end of key stages;
	(2)  whether the single level tests envisaged by the Making Good Progress consultation document are intended to  (a) replace or  (b) run alongside existing multi-level tests;
	(3)  if he will set out the  (a) purpose,  (b) timetable and  (c) other arrangements for the pilot announced in the Making Good Progress consultation document; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  who will carry out the evaluation of the conclusions of the pilot announced in the Making Good Progress consultation document;
	(5)  if he will ensure that the evaluation of the conclusions of the pilot announced in the Making Good Progress consultation document uses a methodology of a standard equivalent to that used in experimental research, including the use of control groups.

Jim Knight: The consultation document Making Good Progress was published on 8 January 2007 and the consultation runs until 2 April 2007. It proposes a pilot to run for two years in a small number of local authorities (LAs). In some schools in those LAs, single-level tests for progress would be piloted, running alongside existing multi-level tests so that the results could be calibrated for consistency. Pupils in the pilot would therefore take both kinds of test. The document suggests that in-year tests might ultimately replace end of key stage arrangements, but this would depend on the experience of the pilot and is not an early prospect. Arrangements for the pilot, including the terms of reference for external evaluation, will be announced after the end of the consultation. The document makes clear that any changes trialled in the pilot, or adopted subsequently, would not be allowed to compromise the accountability delivered by the framework of tests, targets and performance tables which have helped to drive up standards so sharply over the past decade. The current national curriculum assessment arrangements at the end of key stages 1, 2 and 3 will continue to be an important part of our drive to raise standards in schools.

Academy School: (North Copeland)

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the proposals for a new Academy school in North Copeland.

Jim Knight: My officials are working with Cumbria county council to develop proposals to establish an Academy in North Copeland which would replace Wyndham and Ehenside schools.

Building Schools for the Future

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the criteria are for schools' eligibility for Building Schools for the Future funding;
	(2)  how many  (a) community schools,  (b) voluntary aided schools,  (c) voluntary controlled schools and  (d) foundation schools have been granted Building Schools for the Future funding; and how many of these are (i) special schools, (ii) specialist schools and (iii) grammar schools.

Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) aims to rebuild or refurbish all secondary schools in England in 15 waves of investment which started in 2005-06. Prioritisation is on the educational and social needs of geographical groupings of schools proposed by authorities. The needs of all maintained schools of all types in these areas must be considered by authorities when developing details of their plans. In general, we would not expect school buildings built less than 15 years ago to receive significant investment. Full details of the criteria were published in November 2004 in BSF Prioritisation and Forward Planning Information, a copy of which is available in the House Library. Six local authority BSF projects have now reached financial closure. This means that they have been formally granted BSF funding for the schools in their projects. Other local authority BSF projects are finalising their school estate plans. The six projects at financial close are Bradford, Bristol, Lancashire, Manchester, and the London boroughs of Lambeth and Greenwich. In their projects there are in total:
	 (a) 32 community schools, of which 10 are special schools; two are pupil referral units and one a sixth form college
	 (b) Four voluntary aided schools;
	 (c) No voluntary controlled schools;
	 (d) No foundation schools.
	Of the above, 18 are specialist schools and one is a grammar school
	A limited amount of BSF funding was also made available to pathfinder and wave one authorities in 2004-05 and 2005-06 for quick win projects. These were intended to help develop the early elements of BSF prior to the first formal phase of investment in 2005-06. Of the schools which received this funding:
	12 are community schools, including four community special schools;
	One is a voluntary controlled school;
	Two are foundation schools.
	One was a community school at the time it received the funding but is now an Academy;
	11 are specialist schools;
	None are grammar schools.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding Lancashire county council has been given as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: The first phase of Lancashire county council's Building Schools for the Future project reached financial closure on 15 December. As a result the council will receive 94.8 million in PFI credits and 4.185 million in conventional funding.

Centres for Excellence in Teacher Training

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which organisations  (a) have bid to operate Centres for Excellence in Teacher Training (CETTs) in the Learning and Skills Sector from 2007 and  (b) were successful in proceeding to the next stage of the bidding round; and what the membership is of panels responsible for assessing CETT bids.

Bill Rammell: The information requested has been placed in the House Library.

Children's Centres

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received on his decision not to conduct a regulatory impact assessment of children's centres.

Beverley Hughes: I have received no representations related to the decision not to conduct a separate regulatory impact assessment (RIA) for Sure Start children's centres. A full RIA was completed for the Childcare Act 2006 that included consideration of the statutory requirement to secure proactive, accessible and integrated services for under fivesthe duty that underpins the delivery of high quality services through children's centres.

Children's Rights Survey

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that as many children and young people as possible take part in his Department's online children's rights survey.

Jim Knight: The Department has commissioned a consortium of children organisations to ensure that as many children and young people as possible take part in his Department's online children's rights survey. The consortium consists of the Children's Rights Alliance for England, the National Children's Bureau, UNICEF UK and Save the Children (England).
	The survey has featured on children and young people websites including those of the Office of Children's Commissioner, Children's Rights Alliance for England, National Children's Bureau, Save the Children, UNICEF UK, Teen issues, School Councils UK, National Deaf Children's Society, Participation Works, the Scout Association, Girlguiding UK and The Site. It has also been featured on a range of Government sponsored websites including those of DirectGov Young People, Connexions Direct and Every Child Matters.
	The survey has been promoted by relevant networks: the UK Youth Parliament; the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and citizenship network at the National Children's Bureau; the Participation Workers Network England; the Children's Rights Officers and Advocates; 380 member organisations of the Children's Rights Alliance for England; and to members of the international Children's Rights Information Network. It has also featured in  Children Now and  Young People Now magazines.

Competition Managers

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1006W, on competition managers, what targets have been set for competition managers to increase the number of  (a) sporting competitions,  (b) teams competing and  (c) matches played for each age group and sport.

Jim Knight: Competition managers' role is to improve the quality and quantity of school competitions for young people aged between five and 16. In the first year of activity, the pilot wave of 20 competition managers created 690 new competitions involving nearly 40,000 young people. We are currently reviewing their impact with a view to agreeing specific targets for the next phase of competition managers.

Competition Managers

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1006W, on competition managers, how many competition managers and senior competition managers have been employed on salaries above the recommended salary ranges for their grades; and by how much their salaries exceeded the recommended level.

Jim Knight: This information is not held centrally. Grants, based on the number of competition managers and senior competition managers allocated to the area, are passed to the host organisation, and it is for them to decide the level of salary to offer.

Court Information

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's policy is on the provision to courts of information regarding the inclusion on list  (a) 98 and  (b) 99 of people giving evidence.

Jim Knight: List 98 is not a list maintained by the Department for Education and Skills. Some educational establishments and authorities have introduced and maintained such lists under local arrangements, but they are not a requirement under education or employment law.
	Requests from courts for information about people giving evidence who are on List 99 are not received routinely. Any request or order by a court, or for the purpose of court proceedings, would be considered in accordance with the law on a case by case basis.

Drug Testing

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which secondary schools have practised random drug testing; over what periods of time such testing has been carried out in each case; and what the GCSE results were for each such school in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: Schools do not have to inform the Department if they wish to introduce random drug testing for pupils. However, we are aware of three maintained schools which have tested pupils for drugs: The Abbey School, Kent, The National School, Nottinghamshire, and Colne Community School, Essex. We understand that the Abbey School was the first to introduce drug testing in the spring term of 2005.
	The proportion of 15-year-olds achieving 5+A*-C over the last five years, for which data is available, is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 The Abbey School, Faversham, Kent 26 26 32 25 40 
			 Colne Community School, Brightlingsea, Essex 50 55 62 59 50 
			 The National School, Huknall, Nottinghamshire. 61 56 53 57 60

Education Funding: North Lincolnshire

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the capital budget for education in North Lincolnshire was in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 December 2007
	Capital allocations from the Department to schools in North Lincolnshire in each of the last 10 years are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Amount ( million) 
			 1997-98 1.0 
			 1998-99 2.8 
			 1999-2000 2.4 
			 2000-01 6.4 
			 2001-02 10.9 
			 2002-03 11.1 
			 2003-04 6.1 
			 2004-05 10.2 
			 2005-06 5.3 
			 2006-07 6.2 
		
	
	The increase in funding in 2001-02 and 2002-03 is due to large basic need, new deal for schools grant, and targeted capital fund grants. The increase in funding in 2004-05 is due to targeted capital fund grants.

English Language Teaching

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support his Department gives to schools to help immigrants' children to learn English.

Jim Knight: Departmental funding is available via the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG). This is a ring-fenced grant which provides a contribution towards support for underachieving ethnic minority pupils and support for those pupils for whom English is an Additional Language. The total grant for 2007-08 is 179 million.
	In addition, 435 million of the 24.6 billion Schools Formula Spending Share for 2005-06 was distributed on the basis of numbers of children from underachieving ethnic minority groups and for those pupils for whom English is an Additional Language. The Dedicated Schools Grant allocations for 2007-08 will depend on January 2007 school census data.
	In October 2006, we announced that the Department would allocate 400,000 for an English as an Additional Language Excellence Programme. The funding will be spent in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to provide advice, guidance and training for local authorities and schools to provide good quality provision for new arrivals and teaching English as an Additional Language.

Excluded Pupils

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that children who are permanently excluded from schools in Northamptonshire receive alternative educational provision.

Jim Knight: From September 2007, the Education and Inspections Act 2006 will require all permanently excluded pupils to be provided with a full time education from the sixth day of exclusion. Local authorities will have a duty to make arrangements for these children to receive suitable alternative education.

Fingerprinting

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have commenced and subsequently withdrawn schemes for fingerprinting children in the last three years.

Jim Knight: The Department keeps no records of individual schools which may have commenced or withdrawn schemes for fingerprinting children.

Fingerprinting

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in Castle Point  (a) fingerprint and  (b) have previously fingerprinted school children for administrative purposes.

Jim Knight: The Department keeps no records of schools which fingerprint or have previously fingerprinted school children for administrative purposes.

Foreign Language Teaching

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in the teaching of foreign languages in primary schools.

Jim Knight: According to the latest Headspace survey, conducted by  Education Guardian and EdComs, 71 per cent. of all English primary schools are either delivering or planning to deliver language learning programmesa significant increase since 2002 when only 20 per cent. of primary schools were offering opportunities to learn languages. The Department, over the two financial years 2006-08, will have distributed 49.5 million amongst all local authorities through the Standards Fund to support language learning programmes.
	To build workforce capacity in English primary schools, the Department funds the cost of initial teacher training for new primary teachers with a languages specialism in French, Spanish, German, Italian or Portuguese. To date 2,000 new teachers with a language specialism have been trained.
	In addition, we are funding training for existing primary teachers with language skills so that they too can support language learning programmes in their schools.
	Finally, we have published the Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages which offers a practical reference tool for planning, teaching and monitoring the learning process.

Foreign Language Teaching

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will re-instate as compulsory the teaching of foreign languages in secondary schools.

Jim Knight: Lord Dearing is currently carrying out a review of language learning in secondary schools and is due to submit his final report to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by the end of February. The Secretary of State will consider Lord Dearing's recommendations and formally respond to them.

Foundation Degrees

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1863W, on foundation degrees, if he will list the organisations which have provided informal feedback welcoming the provision in the Further Education and Training Bill.

Bill Rammell: The Association of Colleges, which represents the interests of Further Education Colleges in England and Wales, has welcomed the proposals in Clause 19 (Power to award Foundation Degrees only) of the Further Education and Training Bill. In addition, the Mixed Economy Group and the 157 Group of leading Further Education Colleges have been similarly supportive of the move. Positive feedback has also been received in my Department from individual college principals within the FE sector who feel that the proposals are enabling, and that they will facilitate the sector's vital role, emphasised by Lord Leitch's recent report on skills, in providing high-quality training that is flexible and responsive to employers' and learners' needs.

French IGCSE

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will approve the International General Certificate of Secondary Education in French for teaching in maintained schools.

Jim Knight: Unlike the GCSE, International GCSEs, including French, have been designed primarily as a qualification for overseas candidates and are not aligned to the national curriculum programmes of study at Key Stage 4. They have not, therefore, been approved by the Secretary of State under Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 as an external qualification for use with pupils in maintained secondary schools. The GCSE remains the principal means of assessing pupil attainment at the end of compulsory schooling in maintained schools; there are no current plans to change this. The Department recently launched an e- consultation on IGCSEs to seek the views of the wider community on the issues for IGCSEs in the maintained sector. The consultation will run until 23 February 2007. The consultation can be accessed at: www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations.

GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of pupils in maintained schools were entered for a GCSE in both history and geography in each year since 1996.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the number and percentage of 15-year-old pupils(1) attempting a GCSE at both geography and history in each year since 1996.
	
		
			  15-year-old pupils( 1)  attempting GCSE geography and history 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 1996 67,834 12.2 
			 1997 64,036 11.6 
			 1998 51,226 9.4 
			 1999 49,408 8.1 
			 2000 47,179 7.8 
			 2001 49,181 7.9 
			 2002 47,461 7.6 
			 2003 46,362 7.4 
			 2004 49,195 7.6 
			 2005 51,191 8.0 
			 2006(2) 54,528 8.4 
			 (1) Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August. (2) Data for 2006 are provisional. Data for ail other years are final.

Interpreters

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent by each local education authority on interpreters in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect this information.

Key Stage 3

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 14-year-olds achieved  (a) level 5 and  (b) level 6 at Key Stage 3 in teacher assessments for non-core subjects in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The following table gives the percentage of pupils achieving level 5 and level 6 in each of the KS3 non-core teacher assessments since 1997. The 2006 data are not yet available.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving level 5 
			   Design and technology  ICT  History  Geography  Modern foreign languages  Art  Music  Physical education 
			 1997 33 32 23 29 21 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998 35 34 29 29 22 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999 35 34 29 30 19 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000 37 36 32 32 26 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001 38 37 33 32 28 36 38 40 
			 2002 39 39 33 33 29 37 40 43 
			 2003 40 41 34 34 30 39 42 44 
			 2004 41 43 35 35 30 39 43 45 
			 2005 42 45 36 36 31 41 44 47 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving level 6 
			   Design and Technology  ICT  History  Geography  Modern foreign languages  Art  Music  Physical education 
			 1997 19 15 14 20 6 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998 20 18 20 20 7 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999 17 17 17 18 5 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000 22 21 21 22 9 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001 23 21 22 22 14 27 18 22 
			 2002 23 22 22 22 15 26 18 23 
			 2003 24 21 23 23 15 26 19 23 
			 2004 24 20 23 24 16 26 19 23 
			 2005 24 20 24 24 17 25 19 24

Listed School Premises

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the policy of his Department is on the demolition of listed school premises where a school is rebuilt under  (a) Building Schools for the Future and  (b) the primary capital programme;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure the preservation of listed school premises.

Jim Knight: We are committed to improving school buildings so that they are suitable for teaching and learning in the 21st century. In all of our capital programmes, including Building Schools for the Future and the primary capital programme, the Department promotes good design in all its forms, whether in new buildings or adaptations of old buildings.
	The listing of buildings is the responsibility of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and English Heritage, while the development control system that protects them is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government. Decisions under these arrangements relating to listed school buildings are a local matter.
	The Department for Education and Skills supports the protection these arrangements give to listed schools. We believe that existing buildings of historic or architectural interest, particularly if listed, should be retained for school use where they can meet modern expectations for teaching and learning. Where this is not possible, the Department shares English Heritage's view that alternative use should be found rather than the building demolished.
	The Department collaborated recently with English Heritage on a publication The Future of Historic Buildings which seeks to increase understanding about dealing with historic school buildings in the light of our long-term school building programme.

National Curriculum

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Government have to make personal, social and health education a statutory part of the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: There are no plans to make personal, social and health education (PSHE) statutory. Many aspects of PSHEsex education, drug education and careers educationalready have a statutory basis within the curriculum. In addition, there are a number of requirements on schools which support PSHE including the need for policies on bullying, promoting race equality and child protection.
	The Department's priority is to improve the effectiveness of what is taught by providing clear guidance, supporting high-quality continuing professional development for teachers, identifying and disseminating good practice, and helping schools to meet the standards for PSHE required by the national healthy schools programme.

Parents in Prison

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local authorities in England have included references to children with a parent in prison in their current children and young people plans.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 15 January 2007
	Recent research undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research found that approximately 3 per cent. of children and young people' plans, from a representative sample of 75 local authorities, make specific reference to children with a parent in prison.

Renewable Energy: (Schools)

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what incentives there are for schools to incorporate micro generation technology and solar thermal panels when spending the additional capital resources announced in the pre-Budget report.

Jim Knight: The Department has adopted BREEAM Schools, an adaptation of an internationally recognised environmental assessment method. It is a specific requirement that new school buildings and refurbishment projects above a threshold achieve a BREEAM rating of very good or better. This provides a strong incentive for design teams to consider options to reduce carbon emissions through energy efficiency measures and renewable energy systems.
	In addition, grant funding for microgeneration technologies, including solar thermal panels, is available to schools via the DTI's Low Carbon Buildings Programme.

Rural Schools

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) Cornwall and (ii) England are located in rural areas.

Jim Knight: The available information for Cornwall and England is given in the following table.
	For similar information on Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland I refer the hon. Member to the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Department for Education.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : Number and percentage of schools by urban/rural classification( 2,3) As at January 2006 
			   Cornwall local authority area 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			   Rural( 4)  Urban( 5)  Total  Rural( 4)  Urban( 5)  Total 
			 Number of schools 169 70 239 12 19 31 
			 Percentage of schools 70.7 29.3 100.0 38.7 61.3 100.0 
		
	
	
		
			   England 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			   Rural( 4)  Urban( 5)  Total  Rural( 4)  Urban( 5)  Total 
			 Number of schools 5,251 12,253 17,504 524 2,843 3,367 
			 Percentage of schools 30.0 70.0 100.0 15.6 84.4 100.0 
			 (1 )Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Urban/rural classification for schools is based on the school's current postcode.  (3) Schools have been classified as being in either an urban or rural area by matching their school postcode to the Rural and Urban Area Classification 2004 indicator held within the May 2006 National Statistics Postcode Directory. Areas are classified as urban or rural at the Census Output Area (COA) level, and postcodes are classified according to the status of the COA in which they are located.  (4) Includes schools in the following classifications: hamlet and isolated dwelling (sparse and less sparse), town and fringe (sparse and less sparse), village (sparse and less sparse).  (5) Includes schools in Urban = 10k (sparse and less sparse) classifications.   Source:  School Census and Edubase

School Buildings

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many school premises he estimates will be  (a) rebuilt and  (b) refurbished using funds from the primary capital programme in each of the next five years;
	(2)  what the policy of his Department is on  (a) rebuilding and  (b) refurbishing school premises.

Jim Knight: This Government are committed to improving school buildings so that they are suitable for teaching and learning needs in the 21st century. We are supporting record levels of investment in schools: 5.9 billion this year, rising to 8 billion a year by 2010-11. This compares with investment of under 700 million in 1996-97.
	This funding is being used to rebuild or refurbish school premises. The option chosen is a local decision, which should be based on a rigorous options appraisal, including the suitability and condition of existing school buildings, value for money, whole-life costs and sustainability.
	The primary capital programme starts in 2008-09, and will support investment of 150 million in that year and 500 million in each of the following two years. Subject to future public spending decisions, we expect the programme to continue for around 15 years. The decision whether to rebuild or refurbish a school is best taken locally on the basis of a proper options appraisal.
	However, we have said that our long-term objective is to improve at least half of all primary schools. Our planning assumptions are that this will include replacing or taking out of use 5 per cent. of school buildings in the worst physical condition nationally, and replacing or taking out of use the 20 per cent. of the worst condition buildings in our most deprived communities. With strategic and joined-up planning and funding, we hope to exceed this over the life of the programme.

School Buildings

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding is available for  (a) rebuilding and  (b) refurbishing (i) primary and (ii) secondary school premises in each of the next five years.

Jim Knight: In 2007-08, the final year in the current spending review period, 6.4 billion will be available for capital improvements in primary and secondary schools. In the next spending review period, 6.6 billion will be available in 2008-09, 6.9 billion in 2009-10, and 8 billion in 2010-11. No allocations have been agreed for further years. There is no breakdown of these figures between  (a) rebuilding and  (b) refurbishing, or between (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools, as expenditure decisions will be made individually by each local authority.

School Buildings

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which construction companies have been  (a) considered and  (b) selected as principal partners in the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: The following construction companies have been considered, as part of consortiums shortlisted for Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects: Amey, Carillion, Skanska, Mill, HBG, Taylor Woodrow, Kier, Mott MacDonald, Alfred McAlpine, VT, Costain, Kajima, Bouygues, Sir Robert McAlpine, Balfour Beatty, Bovis Lend Lease, Bowmore Kirkland, Vinci, Galliford Try, Amec, Miller, Bilfinger Berger, Laing, Laing O'Rourke, Apollo, Wilmott Dixon and Wates.
	The following construction companies are part of consortiums which have been selected as preferred bidders or which have signed contracts for BSF projects: Amey, Costain, Skanska, Bovis Lend Lease, Taylor Woodrow, Sir Robert McAlpine, Balfour Beatty, Miller, HBG, Laing O'Rourke, Mott MacDonald, Bouygues and Apollo.

School Food

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria will be used for assessing the effectiveness of the new school food policies; against what benchmarking evidence progress will be measured; over what time scale the policy's effectiveness will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The School Food Trust will have preliminary findings related to changes in the provision of school food available later this year. Preliminary results on children's consumption will be available in 2009 (for primary schools) and in 2010 (for secondary schools).
	In support of the drive to improve school food, and the commitments made in the Public Health White Paper Choosing Health, Ofsted will expect schools to present evidence about their general approach to food and healthy eating (the whole school approach) as well as more specifically about the standard of school lunches. Ofsted will routinely comment on the quality of school meals and will report on any issues which arise out of the self assessment or as a result of their inspection visit.
	In addition, Ofsted are undertaking a separate programme of visits to a smaller sample of schools. This will allow more detailed reporting on the standard of food provided and consumed in schools.
	These arrangements reflect our vision about the importance of healthy eating and our determination to support schools in their efforts to improve the nutritional quality of food and drink.

School Governors

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills why prospective school governors are required to provide details of their ethnic origin.

Jim Knight: Prospective school governors are not required to provide details of their ethnic origin. However, all schools and local authorities are under a duty to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and promote equal opportunities.
	We encourage all bodies engaged in recruiting new school governors to monitor the ethnic origin of the governors they appoint, but completion of any ethnic monitoring forms is always voluntary.
	Many schools will have pupils from black and minority ethnic groups, different faiths, refugees, or children with English as a second language. It is important that governing bodies include people who have the skills and abilities to drive forward school improvement from all racial and cultural backgrounds.

School Places: (Hornsey and Wood Green)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places there are in primary and secondary schools in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency, broken down by school.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the capacity of schools in the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.
	
		
			  School name  Number of pupil places 
			  Primary schools  
			 Alexandra Primary School 260 
			 Bounds Green Infant School 270 
			 Bounds Green Junior School 360 
			 Campsbourne Infant School 178 
			 Campsbourne Junior School 240 
			 Coldfall Primary School 630 
			 Coleridge Primary School 420 
			 Earlham Primary School 409 
			 Highgate Primary School 392 
			 Lordship Lane Primary School 630 
			 Muswell Hill Primary School 420 
			 Nightingale Primary School 420 
			 Noel Park Primary School 567 
			 Our Lady of Muswell RC Primary School 420 
			 Rhodes Avenue Primary School 420 
			 Rokesly Infant School 270 
			 Rokesly Junior School 360 
			 St. Aidan's VC Primary School 210 
			 St. Gilda's RC Junior School 240 
			 St. James C of E Primary 210 
			 St. Martin of Porres RC Primary 210 
			 St. Mary's CE Infant School 180 
			 St. Mary's CE Junior School 240 
			 St. Michael's Primary School 420 
			 St. Paul's RC Primary School 210 
			 St. Peter In Chains RC Infant School 180 
			 St. Michael's CE Primary School 210 
			 Stroud Green Primary School 420 
			 Tetherdown Primary School 210 
			 Weston Park Primary School 210 
			 Total 9,816 
			   
			  Secondary schools  
			 Alexandra Park School 1,290 
			 Fortismere School 1,511 
			 Highgate Wood School 1,200 
			 Hornsey School for Girls 1,434 
			 St. Thomas More RC School 1,123 
			 Woodside High School 1,222 
			 Greig Academy 1,250 
			 Total 9,030

School Sites

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools share a site; and what estimate he has made of how many will share a site in each of the next five years.

Jim Knight: Data on numbers of schools sharing sites are not held by the Department.

School Travel

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local authority-based school travel advisers there were in post in each year since the scheme began.

Jim Knight: We do not collect that information.

School Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 209W, how much of the 5.5 billion his Department allocated for schools capital expenditure in 2005-06 was spent.

Jim Knight: Of the 5.5 billion allocated for schools capital investment in 2005-06, there is recorded slippage of 0.2 billion in the Department's accounts. This has been carried forward to use in future financial years.

Schools (Milton Keynes)

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what approvals his Department has given for capital expenditure on  (a) schools and nurseries and  (b) secondary schools in Milton Keynes in each year since 2000.

Jim Knight: The Department does not give approvals for capital expenditure on individual  (a) schools and nurseries and  (b) secondary schools, as it relies on local authorities to prioritise funds available to them, including funds raised locally. Capital allocations for schools and nurseries from my Department to Milton Keynes have risen substantially since the financial year commencing 1 April 2000, and are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Amount ( million) 
			 2000-01 10.6 
			 2001-02 9.9 
			 2002-03 20.3 
			 2003-04 29.1 
			 2004-05 39.1 
			 2005-06 30.8 
			 2006-07 52.5 
		
	
	The allocation of 52.5 million in 2006-07 includes a high basic need allocation of 31.4 million, for expansion, and a targeted capital funding allocation of 11.6 million.

Sign Language Courses

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will reclassify British Sign Language as a British language rather than as a learning for leisure course in further education colleges.

Bill Rammell: The sector subject areas of approved qualifications on the national qualifications framework are determined by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as part of the accreditation process. Sign language courses that are currently part of the national qualifications framework are assigned to the language, literature and culture sector subject area.
	The sector subject area does not affect the eligibility for funding from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Sign language courses have not been reclassified for funding purposes and remain eligible for LSC funding.

Special Educational Needs

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many education supervision orders have been put in place in respect of children with a special educational need in each of the last five years in  (a) St. Albans and  (b) Hertfordshire; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect data relating to education supervision orders.

Specialised Diplomas

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to promote the uptake of specialised diplomas  (a) in (i) schools, (ii) higher education institutions and (iii) colleges and  (b) among employers.

Jim Knight: Schools, colleges, work-based learning providers, higher education institutions and employers, through Diploma Development Partnerships, have been involved from the beginning in the design of the new diploma qualifications and will be key to the delivery of them.
	The Department has a number of channels through which we disseminate information to these stakeholders, e.g. regular emails, the 14-19 website (www.dfes.gov.uk/14-19), Directgov, and the 14-19 newsletter for which there is a subscription list. The focus so far has been on getting information to providers in preparation for the Gateway process.
	We have already received great interest from areas wishing to deliver the diplomas in 2008. A total of 1,121 self assessments were received from consortiums (partnerships comprising local authorities, learning and skills councils, schools, colleges, and employers/work-based learning providers) wishing to go through the Gateway process, which means that nearly every local authority area hopes to offer diplomas in 2008. The Gateway is a process that will assess consortiums and identify those best equipped to secure the necessary awarding body approval to deliver the diplomas in 2008.
	On 12 December 2006, the Secretary of State announced our diploma champions who will promote the diplomas and wider reforms with their sectors. These are:
	Sir Alan Jones, Chairman of Toyota as the diploma champion for employers;
	Sir Mike Tomlinson, the former Chief Inspector of Schools and current chair of the Learning Trust in Hackney, as the diploma champion for schools, colleges and work-based learning providers; and
	Professors Deian Hopkin, Vice Chancellor of London South Bank University and Michael Arthur, Vice Chancellor of the University of Leeds, as diploma champions for higher education.
	In addition, the Department is undertaking the following specific activity to promote the uptake of Diplomas:
	(i) nine regional conferences were held in October 2006 for schools and colleges and others involved in Gateway consortia, aimed at sharing information and practically supporting areas in the delivery of the 14-19 education reforms;
	(ii) five regional conferences are being held throughout December and January to provide information to higher education on the diplomas and other reforms;
	(iii) We are supporting the Association of Colleges to run a series of further education conferences on the 14-19 education reforms from February to March, which will include diploma workshops;
	(iv) We are working with the CBI and others to engage employers in diploma delivery. The DDPs will also be promoting the diplomas within their sectors.
	We do not expect all areas to be offering diplomas in September 2008. In spring 2007 we will be announcing which areas have passed through the Gateway process and will be offering diplomas for young people to study. We will then be targeting the young people and parents affected regionally with information to help individuals to make the best personal choice.

Teach First Scheme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to which cities he expects the Teach First scheme to expand by 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: In addition to London and Manchester, by 2009-10 I expect Teach First to have expanded to recruit trainees in the Midlands (covering Birmingham, Coventry and Nottingham) and in Yorkshire and Humberside (covering Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, Doncaster and Huddersfield), and the existing office in the North West will also recruit for Liverpool.

Truancy

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Government action to combat truancy since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 January 2007
	The Department focuses on reducing all absences from schools, not just those which are unauthorised. Overall absence rates have been substantially lower than the 1996-97 rate in all but two of the last nine years. In 2005-06, when absence rates were affected by unusually high levels of sickness, absence was still 0.54 per cent. points below the 1996-97 levelequivalent to 37,000 more pupils in school every single day.
	We do not have a direct measure of truancy. Unauthorised absence is often used as a proxy for truancy, but it is an imperfect measure because it also includes lateness and some term time holidays. It is also well known that unauthorised absence tends to rise when schools take a tougher line on absence generally, as has happened in recent years, without reflecting any underlying increase in truancy. The latest figures show no increase in unauthorised absence. That is why the Department has moved away from targets focusing narrowly on rates of unauthorised absence.
	The vast majority of unauthorised absence is very short term: of the secondary school pupils with unauthorised absence in the autumn and spring terms 2005-06, 55 per cent. missed only one or two days and 75 per cent. missed 5 days or fewer. But we also now know that a small minority of pupils miss significant amounts of their schooling. That is why we are now focusing our efforts on reducing persistent absence, including persistent truancy, in schools where this problem is most acute. This is proving highly effective. Last year, our targeted challenge and support in 198 secondary schools helped to reduce the number of persistent truants in those schools by 27 per cent., to reduce the average rate of absence in those schools by 0.63 per cent. and the average rate of unauthorised absence by 0.89 per cent.
	Building on that success, we are now focusing on providing challenge and support to 436 secondary schools with high levels of persistent absence.

Voluntary School Staff

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the contribution made by voluntary staff in schools; and if he will make a statement

Jim Knight: The Government would like to take this opportunity to recognise the important role that the wide range of volunteers play in supporting pupils and teachers in schools. Whether it be parents reading to pupils, learning mentor activities or the participation of undergraduates in schools through our own funded schemes such as the Student Associate Scheme or Undergraduate Ambassadors, they bring with them a wider range of skills, experience and knowledge, which complement the professional pedagogical skills of teachers and trained support staff.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Cabinet Office: (Hospitality)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the Cabinet Office's expenditure was on hospitality and entertainment in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2005-06.

Hilary Armstrong: My department spent 649,000 on hospitality and entertainment in 2005-06.
	Information on hospitality and entertainment expenditure for 1996-97 is not held on the department's accounting system and is therefore not available.
	All Cabinet Office expenditure on official hospitality and entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting and other HM Treasury guidance.

Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total expenditure by her Office on external consultants was in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; and what the estimated costs are for 2006-07.

Hilary Armstrong: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and therefore the answer provided is for the whole of the Cabinet Office including the Prime Minister's Office.
	For details of my department's spend on external consultants  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; and the estimated costs for 2006-07, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 29 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 767-68W.

Duchy Council

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 520W, on the Duchy council, what guidance has been issued regarding appointments to the Duchy council in respect of professional background.

Hilary Armstrong: As Chancellor, I require the Council to ensure that its members have the experience and expertise to discharge its responsibilities, and the balance of such experience and expertise must be considered when making an appointment of a new member of council.

Ministerial Committees

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many times the Ministerial Committee on Economic Affairs, Productivity and Competitiveness met in each month between September 2005 and September 2006.

Hilary Armstrong: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Special Advisers and Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether special advisers in her Department have made use of an official car in the last 12 months, excluding travel made when accompanying a Minister.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State to him on 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1063W.

Special Advisers and Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 347, on special advisers/consultants, how many mobile telephones are provided to special advisers in  (a) Downing Street and  (b) the Cabinet Office.

Hilary Armstrong: Civil servants, including special advisers, are provided with mobile telephones as necessary for the purposes of undertaking their official duties.

Statistics

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on how many occasions in the last five years the publication date of statistics produced by her Department has been changed; what the  (a) subject of the statistics,  (b) (i) original and (ii) final date of publication and  (c) reason for the delay was in each case; and who took the decision to delay the publication in each case.

Hilary Armstrong: In accordance with the National Statistics Code of Practice (2002), the Head of Profession for Statistics in the Cabinet Office has sole responsibility for determining, pre-announcing and, if necessary, altering the dates of publication of National Statistics and other relevant statistics produced by the Department.
	Any decision to change a pre-announced publication date will be based on a range of professional considerations such as the completeness of the underlying data, their fitness for purpose, the need for consistency and coherence, the need to promote widespread access and informed debate, or any earlier accidental or wrongful release. In reaching their decision, the Head of Profession will also take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices. The Code and its 12 supporting Protocols are available in the Library for the reference of Members, and can also be accessed using the following address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp
	This Department has no historical record of the occasions on which the Head of Profession changed a pre-announced publication date in the last five years.

Trade Union Funding

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what funding her Department has given to individual trade unions in the last three years.

Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Office has not provided any funding to individual trade unions in the last three years.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Christmas Party

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will publish the invitation list for his Department's Christmas party;
	(2)  what the budget is for his Department's Christmas party.

John Prescott: I hosted a short early-evening reception for some of the civil servants and Ministers who have provided me with support over the past year.

WORK AND PENSIONS

16 to 25-year-olds

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people between 16 and 25 years are not in work, training or education in each local authority area in England and Wales.

Jim Murphy: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Basildon Jobcentre Plus

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the backlog is for dealing with new cases at Basildon Jobcentre Plus; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 16 January 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what the backlog is for dealing with new cases at Basildon Jobcentre Plus. This is something that falls within my responsibilities as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Basildon Benefit Delivery Centre (BDC) has recently completed a programme of centralising all Incapacity Benefit, Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance work previously carried out at offices throughout the county. The centralisation has caused some backlogs but we have successfully reduced these and expect to see a continued improvement into the New Year. The volume of claims outstanding has been steadily reducing over recent months and the current position represents a 17 per cent improvement against the position in October 2006.
	The latest figures (for week ending 8 December) show that Basildon BDC has a combined total of 3,060 new claims to Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support and Incapacity Benefit outstanding against an expected claim intake figure of 2640. The difference of 420 equates to approximately 1 days intake of claims.
	The management team at Basildon are working hard to make significant improvements to their performance. A recovery plan is in place and other BDCs within the network are undertaking work on behalf of Basildon to increase productivity.

Benefit Claims

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims there have been for each benefit administered by his Department in each year from 1996-97 to 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following tables. The figures are for claims made in each year and do not indicate the number of awards made.
	
		
			  Claims received each year for benefits administered by DSS/DWP 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Income support (1) (1) 1,387,384 1,372,849 1,490,281 1,273,061 
			 Jobseeker's allowance (6)1,308,016 2,919,810 2,990,416 2,873,256 2,671,505 2,530,253 
			 Incapacity benefit 972,075 963,406 886,944 869,490 853,653 777,383 
			 Severe disablement allowance(5) 60,946 29,643 26,716 28,743 29,619 5,451 
			 Maternity allowance (1) (1) 52,097 47,516 45,751 45,654 
			 Bereavement benefit (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 26,528 
			 Bereavement payment (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 33,857 
			 Widows payment 24,534 24,727 24,220 27,540 21,887 2,545 
			 Widow's benefit 18,095 17,566 19,503 15,613 16,893 1,693 
			 IIDB(3) (Industrial accident) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 5,759 
			 IIDB(3 )(Prescribed diseases) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 10,690 
			 IIDB(3) (REA) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 1,989 
			 Pension credit (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 State pension (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Attendance allowance (1) 367,229 369,770 353,337 364,881 344,269 
			 Disability living allowance 491,167 437,531 375,198 370,443 386,815 384,765 
			 Carer's allowance (1) (1) (1) 148,904 142,444 135,975 
			 Community care grant 1,145,572 1,154,428 1,125,836 602,675 547,672 538,443 
			 Budgeting loan 1,386,954 1,442,017 1,410,497 1,633,549 1,672,627 1,712,719 
			 Crisis loan 963,044 1,027,313 1,102,917 1,257,199 1,256,813 1,290,293 
			 Funeral payment 54,557 47,787 47,852 43,918 39,744 39,954 
			 Sure Start maternity (1) (1) (1) (1) 165,615 205,513 
		
	
	
		
			  Claims received each year for benefits administered by DWP 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Income support 1,154,940 960,294 861,583 829,154 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 2,536,351 2,314,388 2,122,140 2,201,321 
			 Incapacity benefit 905,613 799,773 754,253 695,919 
			 Severe disablement allowance(5) 1,089 698 613 555 
			 Maternity allowance 68,548 71,683 72,881 75,798 
			 Bereavement benefit 46,065 50,953 53,324 53,964 
			 Bereavement payment 61,433 68,053 65,917 65,697 
			 Widows payment 539 559 664 1,146 
			 Widow's benefit 5,620 639 305 934 
			 IIDB(4) (Industrial accident) 16,933 20,654 19,014 18,937 
			 IIDB(4) (Prescribed diseases) 31,053 37,604 25,743 21,704 
			 IIDB(4) (REA) 4,661 3,652 2,915 2,176 
			 Pension credit 496,317 1,177,394 802,248 434,924 
			 State pension 696,468 731,319 742,474 786,346 
			 Attendance allowance (1) 422,142 393,889 413,807 
			 Disability living allowance (1) (1) 427,551 432,962 
			 Carer's allowance (1) 232,068 234,804 249,916 
			 Community care grant 570,906 575,547 569,810 577,050 
			 Budgeting loan 1,697,664 1,684,836 1,623,107 1,639,141 
			 Crisis loan 1,348,774 1,378,009 1,348,122 1,373,985 
			 Funeral payment 67,953 71,492 69,599 67,834 
			 Sure Start maternity 278,887 310,538 321,537 325,641 
			 (1) No information available. This is because either data was not collected or the data is unreliable.  (2) IIDB = Industrial injuries disablement benefit.  (3) IIDB figures do not include some claims from overseas.  (4) REA = Reduced earnings allowance.  (5) No new claims have been accepted for severe disablement allowance since April 2001; figures after this date represent claims which have been rebuilt.  (6 )Jobseeker's allowance replaced unemployment benefit and income support for unemployed people on 7 October 1996. Therefore the figure for 1996-97 is a part year figure.   Source:  DWP management information data.

Carers

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receiving carer's allowance in  (a) Milton Keynes and  (b) England were in part-time employment in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: There are no reliable estimates available for the requested information.

Carers

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are classified as carers and are in receipt of benefits.

Anne McGuire: As at 31 May 2006, the latest date for which information is available, over 785,000 carers of severely disabled people were entitled to carer's allowance. Of these, some 454,000 were receiving the allowance, 332,000 were receiving another income maintenance benefit of at least the same amount, and some 410,000 had the carer premium included in the assessment of their income-related benefits, or the additional amount for carers included in the assessment of their pension credit.
	 Source:
	Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study; figures rounded to the nearest thousand.

Child Maintenance Payments

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to whom the Commissioner of the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission proposed in the White Paper. A new system of child maintenance will be directly accountable; and what reporting obligations the Commissioner will have to Parliament.

James Plaskitt: The Commissioner for Child Maintenance will lead C-MEC as part of an independent board. C-MEC will be required to produce annual reports and accounts to lay before Parliament. Further details on governance structures, including lines of accountability, will be brought forward in due course.

Child Support Agency

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the new rate of 15 per cent. of net income will be applied to old Child Support Agency cases which are reassessed.

James Plaskitt: Child Support legislation will only allow the transfer of an old scheme case to the new scheme where there are prescribed links to a new scheme application. In such cases, the new calculation will be based on the new scheme percentage rates of 15, 20 and 25 per cent. of net income depending on the number of children.
	In cases where there is no such link, any reassessment will be carried out under the old rules.
	Following Sir David Henshaw's review we have set out our proposals for the transition from the current to the new arrangements in the White Paper published on 13 December 2006.

Child Support Agency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what bonus pay awards he expects to be made to senior staff at the Child Support Agency this Christmas; and how much he expects his Department to pay in bonus payments.

James Plaskitt: No bonus pay awards will be made to senior civil servants at the Child Support Agency this Christmas. The Department will pay no bonus payments to senior civil servants this Christmas.

Crisis Loans

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of calls to each crisis loan helpline  (a) were answered,  (b) were unanswered and  (c) received an engaged tone in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 16 January 2007:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what proportion of calls to each Crisis Loan helpline (a) were answered, (b) were unanswered and (c) received an engaged tone in the last period for which figures are available. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	We do not have crisis loan helplines. Currently customers can be dealt with in 3 different ways when applying for Crisis Loans through Social Fund:
	Regions and Countries that have migrated Social Fund into their regional and national sites and have officially gone live as a Benefit Delivery Centre will have issued an 0800 number for their customers to telephone. These 0800 numbers are specific to their Regions and Countries. Currently we have 4 Benefit Delivery Centres that have recently gone live that have centralised Social FundSheffield, Norwich, Newcastle and Nottingham. Not all districts in these regions have migrated their work into these Benefit Delivery Centres yet. It is therefore too early to have gathered information on numbers of calls and possible delays. Managers have responsibility for ensuring 25% of their staff are available at all times to answer telephone calls.
	Offices that have rolled-out into Jobcentre Plus will give their customers the option of using the telephone service. In Regions and Countries that have not yet centralised Social Fund, these numbers will be local numbers (not 0800 numbers). In most cases customers will be ringing their nearest office. Information is not collated on the number of calls to these offices for crisis loans.
	Not all offices have rolled out into Jobcentre Plus and customers in these areas will visit their local social security office to make an application for a crisis loan at the office.
	Once all Benefit Delivery Centres have rolled out and Social Fund has migrated into the nominated Social Fund sites in the Regions and Countries, then 0800 numbers will be used nationally. Completion of roll-out for all Benefit Delivery Centres is March 2008 when advanced telephony systems will also be in place, enabling us to monitor telephony performance site by site.

Disability Discrimination Act

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what expenditure has been made by his Department to conform with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.

Anne McGuire: The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 inserted into the 1995 Act the requirement for the Department to carry out certain specific disability equality duties. In particular, it is required to publish, and periodically review, a Disability Equality Scheme which sets out how it intends to carry out its disability equality duties. DWP and its constituent businesses published its first Disability Equality Schemes on 1 December 2006.
	Impact assessing the Department's policies and services and preparation of the Disability Equality Schemes took some months to complete and involved all of the Department's businesses. Action plans will take some time to deliver. Identifying expenditure on these activities would be disproportionate to the costs. However some costs are clearly identifiable. These amount to 645,000 and include spending on the central team which co-ordinated and planned publication of the Schemes, the costs of publication and liaison with the businesses. This figure also includes the cost involved in producing Gender Equality Schemes and progress reports on Race Equality Schemes which were published with the Disability Equality Schemes.
	There will be ongoing implementation costs to the Department in delivering and reviewing action plans every three years and reporting on progress against the plans on an annual basis.

Disability Living Allowance

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people receive disability living allowance on grounds of blindness or visual impairment;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the additional cost to public funds of awarding disability living allowance at the higher rate for mobility to registered blind and visually impaired people now in receipt of the mobility component at the lower rate.

Anne McGuire: As at May 2006, the latest date for which information is available, 62,140 people whose main disabling condition is recorded as blindness were receiving disability living allowance. Of these, 40,030 people under the age of 65 were receiving the lower-rate mobility component. The estimated additional cost of paying the higher-rate mobility component would be about 56 million per year.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Forced Labour

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Ethnic Minority Employment Taskforce has made of forced labour in the UK.

Jim Murphy: The Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force has made no assessment of forced labour in the UK. Responsibility for combating trafficking for labour exploitation lies with the Home Office. However, DWP fully supports policies which set and monitor international labour standards, including the regulation of 'gang masters'.

Henshaw Review

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the datasets, statistics, calculations and assumptions underlying Sir David Henshaw's review of the system of child support.

James Plaskitt: The assumptions underlying Sir David Henshaw's review of the system of child support are set out in his report Henshaw D, 2006, Recovering child support: routes to responsibility, CM 6894.
	The further internal analysis referred to in his report was based on publicly available statistics and datasets
	Wikely N et al, 2001, National Survey of Child Support Agency Clients, Department for Work and Pensions Research Report No 152
	Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics March 2006
	2004-05 Family Resources Survey
	2003 Families and Children Study
	2004 Families and Children Study
	These statistics were used to calculate two key components of the Henshaw report: the impact of an increasing emphasis on private maintenance arrangements on the caseload of the administrative system; and the impact of the reforms on child poverty.
	As a result of the reforms which Sir David Henshaw put forward he estimated that the number of children receiving maintenance would increase from 1.1 million to 1.75 million, with an increasing proportion of parents making private arrangements. In steady state Sir David Henshaw estimated the long run administrative savings to be in the region of 200 million, based on a caseload of between 0.8 million and 1.1 million in the new organisation. In making these estimates Sir David identified in his report the need to do further research to support the transition of cases and that there is an element of unpredictability about such transitional flows.
	The assumptions about increased numbers of children receiving maintenance were used in conjunction with the Family Resources Survey to estimate the potential impact of the redesigned system on child poverty. This suggested that a full disregard of maintenance in benefit calculations could reduce child poverty by 80,000 to 90,000 children. A further 30,000 children could be lifted out of poverty as a result of expected increases in compliance and the number of cases with a positive maintenance liability.

Jobseeker's Allowance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many payments for jobseeker's allowance were terminated  (a) as a result of employment and  (b) for other reasons, broken down by reason in (i) each London borough and (ii) the UK in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information has been placed in the Library.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes there have been to the criteria applied by his officials to test whether an applicant for Jobseeker's Allowance has satisfied the requirement to seek work since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Building on existing criteria, from 19 April 2004, the number of steps a jobseeker is expected to take to look for work increased from two to three per week. Also, after 13 weeks of entitlement to jobseeker's allowance the amount of travelling time a jobseeker would be expected to undertake between their home and the proposed place of employment in order to find work increases from one hour to one hour and thirty minutes. Additionally, jobseekers who are still unemployed after 13 weeks are required to undertake a weekly, rather than fortnightly, job review for a period of 6 weeks.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the research by outside consultants commissioned by his Department in connection with pension reform since January 2004.

James Purnell: Details of all commissioned research contributing to the evidence base for pension reform since January 2004 are contained in Annex F of the Government's White Paper on pension reform (Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system, May 2006).
	The following lists all research by outside consultancy firms (rather than research organisations or academics) connected to pension reform that have been commissioned since January 2004. This list includes projects involving the use of specialist academic or expert economic advice as well as research projects involving primary data collection or analysis.
	Investment options in personal accountsCRA Intl (UK)
	Competition in personal accountsCRA Intl (UK)
	Research study to develop a counterfactual for private pensionsCRA Intl (UK)
	Impact assessment of the NPSS on annuities marketCRA Intl (UK)
	Branded choice in personal accountsCRA Intl (UK)
	Review of research relevant to assessing the impact of the proposed National Pensions Savings Scheme on household savingPWC
	Costs of capital and financing the personal accounts schemePWC
	Research into early policy development for personal accountsDeloittes
	This list has been compiled on the basis that
	 (a) projects undertaken by GAD, ONS or any other Government department should not be included as they were delivered by civil servants
	 (b) projects commissioned by the Pensions Commission have not been included as the Commission was an independent body.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many attendances there were at major (type 1) accident and emergency departments in each of the former 28 strategic health authority areas in each quarter since the quarter ended June 1997.

Andy Burnham: Full information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Attendances at accident and emergency departments in England, 1997-98 to Q2 2006-07 
			   Quarter  Type 1 attendances  Attendances at all AE types 
			 1997-98   14,364,146 
			 1998-99   14,280,388 
			 1999-2000   14,629,025 
			 2000-01   14,293,307 
			 2001-02 Q1  3,633,823 
			 2001-02 Q2  3,685,719 
			 2001-02 Q3  3,443,924 
			 2001-02 Q4  3,340,876 
			 2002-03 Q1 2,913,291 3,740,076 
			 2002-03 Q2 3,095,650 3,746,866 
			 2002-03 Q3 2,882,500 3,435,018 
			 2002-03 Q4 2,930,874 3,469,562 
			 2003-04 Q1 3,217,931 4,132,497 
			 2003-04 Q2 3,281,186 4,347,584 
			 2003-04 Q3 3,106,667 4,027,622 
			 2003-04 Q4 3,059,698 4,009,142 
			 2004-05 Q1 3,377,850 4,502,578 
			 2004-05 Q2 3,381,219 4,556,695 
			 2004-05 Q3 3,257,398 4,374,927 
			 2004-05 Q4 3,249,353 4,402,980 
			 2005-06 Q1 3,520,931 4,859,578 
			 2005-06 Q2 3,403,089 4,744,255 
			 2005-06 Q3 3,346,995 4,605,971 
			 2005-06 Q4 3,282,671 4,549,360 
			 2006-07 Q1 3,509,769 4,891,724 
			 2006-07 Q2 3,493,340 4,892,547 
			  Notes: 1. Prior to Q1 (April to June) 2001-02, attendance data was collected annually and only as a total for all AE types. At this time, this did not include walk-in centres. 2. AE attendances split down into AE type were first collected in Q1 (April to June) 2002-03. 3. From Q1 (April to June) 2003-04, attendances at walk-in centres were included in attendance information for all types of AE department. Walk-in centres are considered to be a type 3 AE service.  Source: Department of Health datasets KH09 and QMAE 
		
	
	
		
			  Attendances at all types of accident and emergency department, NHS regions, 1997-98 to 2001-02 
			   2001-02 
			  Region  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			  England  14,364,146  14,280,388  14,629,025  14,293,307  3,633,823  3,685,719  3,443,924  3,340,876 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 1,908,884 1,900,148 1,940,457 1,884,713 481,648 488,211 456,277 439,494 
			 Trent 1,344,814 1,324,409 1,329,038 1,303,643 344,868 338,374 320,761 309,316 
			 West Midlands 1,690,182 1,689,095 1,740,155 1,682,401 430,965 428,728 404,377 382,004 
			 North West 2,248,105 2,184,748 2,233,799 2,181,244 564,417 555,658 525,782 506,768 
			 Eastern 1,123,343 1,131,896 1,173,271 1,171,833 309,479 315,614 291,993 276,572 
			 London 2,528,522 2,538,380 2,584,316 2,548,166 602,536 619,611 612,470 599,224 
			 South East 2,102,652 2,102,444 2,154,529 2,080,948 539,428 552,400 506,653 491,606 
			 South West 1,417,644 1,409,268 1,473,460 1,440,359 360,482 387,123 325,611 335,892 
			  Notes: 1. Prior to Q1 (April to June) 2001-02, attendance data were collected annually and only as a total for all AE types. At this time, this did not include walk-in centres. 2. AE attendances split down into AE type were not collected until Q1 (April to June) 2002-03. 3. Strategic health authorities were established from 1 April 2002. Prior to this, the national health service in England had regional health authorities.  Source: Department of Health dataset KH09 
		
	
	
		
			  Attendances at type 1 accident and emergency department, strategic health authorities, Q1 2002-03 to Q2 2006-07 
			   2002-03  2003-04 
			  SHA  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			  England  2,913,291  3,095,650  2,882,500  2,930,874  3,217,931  3,281,186  3,106,667  3,249,353 
			  
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA 92,304 106,095 94,269 93,215 105,942 112,090 100,524 105,011 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA 83,741 86,041 80,665 82,643 89,494 90,301 88,953 94,770 
			 Essex HA 77,615 84,375 78,646 78,806 91,336 94,714 92,479 96,373 
			 North West London HA 141,806 160,240 154,179 160,367 162,551 163,301 163,120 183,052 
			 North Central London HA 96,749 101,049 98,802 102,806 119,068 118,186 118,069 117,739 
			 North East London HA 111,890 116,966 114,581 120,902 126,482 130,264 132,542 150,918 
			 South East London HA 118,717 118,576 111,971 117,163 130,333 113,741 126,194 142,415 
			 South West London HA 106,722 91,844 86,184 90,089 97,076 97,482 97,127 105,505 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA 85,208 88,259 84,327 83,234 97,706 99,453 93,431 96,746 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley HA 66,814 71,301 68,190 69,748 79,684 82,807 76,919 79,801 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA 80,995 87,462 80,176 81,417 90,311 93,785 84,548 87,497 
			 West Yorkshire HA 166,676 176,184 164,462 163,545 178,492 182,325 168,905 158,760 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire HA 112,689 120,115 108,873 108,039 120,160 123,743 111,035 115,051 
			 Greater Manchester HA 202,011 214,486 200,412 203,576 222,596 224,982 213,821 221,015 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside HA 163,902 179,833 170,100 166,403 183,318 187,871 177,613 180,798 
			 Thames Valley HA 92,770 101,727 92,964 93,415 104,763 105,926 99,712 107,873 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA 71,064 78,699 64,964 64,105 71,060 75,492 67,693 71,028 
			 Kent and Medway HA 85,447 88,867 85,783 83,389 93,476 95,614 87,645 88,428 
			 Surrey and Sussex HA 144,901 155,325 141,358 140,713 155,332 154,647 141,995 157,516 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA 101,256 118,453 116,769 119,027 126,560 133,155 122,434 128,721 
			 South West Peninsula HA 68,519 76,484 65,827 69,023 78,434 85,570 73,202 73,969 
			 Dorset and Somerset HA 51,673 57,018 48,330 48,261 58,527 63,911 59,491 51,646 
			 South Yorkshire HA 88,804 95,108 87,961 89,699 98,103 101,153 96,754 98,202 
			 Trent HA 123,389 127,945 114,748 117,548 127,565 133,473 121,091 127,591 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA 57,041 59,710 55,662 55,836 60,515 61,742 58,431 63,046 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire HA 70,526 72,812 66,540 67,376 75,154 74,781 70,205 72,202 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country HA 171,293 176,872 168,783 174,182 186,842 189,470 180,150 183,791 
			 West Midlands South HA 78,769 83,804 76,974 86,347 87,051 91,207 82,584 90,159 
		
	
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			   Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			  England  3,377,850  3,381,219  3,257,398  3,249,353  3,520,931  3,403,089  3,346,995  3,282,671 
			  
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA 113,539 118,005 108,112 105,011 117,281 115,079 109,897 106,542 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA 99,269 99,476 94,993 94,770 102,480 100,130 99,180 97,266 
			 Essex HA 100,299 102,795 96,646 96,373 103,076 101,919 100,534 100,260 
			 North West London HA 175,619 174,449 179,382 183,052 194,212 179,064 187,248 190,088 
			 North Central London HA 126,876 125,507 114,777 117,739 118,502 112,430 116,060 118,793 
			 North East London HA 140,594 142,189 145,439 150,918 158,992 148,498 152,719 159,581 
			 South East London HA 142,553 141,904 141,474 142,415 156,325 148,347 150,051 151,192 
			 South West London HA 105,399 103,839 104,694 105,505 107,579 102,877 107,084 106,653 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA 100,724 100,360 98,006 96,476 97,867 95,185 93,950 90,801 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley HA 85,987 85,942 81,533 79,801 89,727 85,063 82,027 80,990 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA 94,037 94,550 87,957 96,680 98,034 94,308 89,583 97,649 
			 West Yorkshire HA 179,052 176,804 168,046 158,760 174,021 167,784 166,954 163,397 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire HA 123,800 122,168 115,295 115,051 128,370 127,349 121,087 116,795 
			 Greater Manchester HA 227,928 221,756 221,216 221,015 241,235 232,725 235,462 233,230 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside HA 189,137 187,370 182,294 180,798 196,105 189,190 181,124 177,421 
			 Thames Valley HA 112,916 113,684 107,496 107,873 115,952 113,463 110,616 101,567 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA 75,609 75,358 70,307 71,028 78,425 78,929 75,499 70,740 
			 Kent and Medway HA 98,997 99,854 94,198 88,428 86,682 85,036 83,325 82,338 
			 Surrey and Sussex HA 150,684 154,353 156,633 157,516 171,840 168,510 155,933 145,955 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA 134,129 134,919 128,323 128,721 143,317 137,038 130,376 122,838 
			 South West Peninsula HA 81,520 84,797 75,039 73,969 80,335 85,962 76,446 73,362 
			 Dorset and Somerset HA 56,077 57,258 51,901 51.646 57,927 60,299 54,191 51,730 
			 South Yorkshire HA 102,339 100,656 99,014 98,202 107,422 101,808 103,270 101,550 
			 Trent HA 134,971 137,296 128,115 127,591 143,058 137,756 131,989 128,440 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA 65,872 65,108 63,098 63,046 70,375 66,826 66,486 65,069 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire HA 76,514 78,475 72,333 72,202 80,137 76,579 73,996 71,883 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country HA 191,535 190,527 184,497 183,791 202,547 194,555 193,751 195,275 
			 West Midlands South HA 91,874 91,820 86,580 90,159 100,462 96,380 98,157 90,667 
		
	
	
		
			   2006-07 
			   Q1  Q2 
			  England  3,509,769  3,493,340 
			
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA 118,318 121,025 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA 103,207 101,183 
			 Essex HA 106,035 105,340 
			 North West London HA 192,454 187,202 
			 North Central London HA 119,920 118,825 
			 North East London HA 153,101 147,532 
			 South East London HA 155,673 150,151 
			 South West London HA 109,253 107,788 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA 98,191 97,384 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley HA 89,623 89,882 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA 98,034 97,649 
			 West Yorkshire HA 175,443 172,654 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire HA 129,679 129,662 
			 Greater Manchester HA 251,217 245,735 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside HA 187,683 186,105 
			 Thames Valley HA 109,831 109,564 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA 78,388 79,631 
			 Kent and Medway HA 87,942 89,622 
			 Surrey and Sussex HA 156,395 157,963 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA 137,526 137,602 
			 South West Peninsula HA 86,392 90,923 
			 Dorset and Somerset HA 58,245 61,391 
			 South Yorkshire HA 108,254 107,175 
			 Trent HA 142,585 143,782 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA 70,530 69,487 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire HA 78,814 77,853 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country HA 206,959 206,758 
			 West Midlands South HA 100,077 103,472 
			  Notes: 1. Prior to Q1 (April to June) 2001-02, attendance data was collected annually and only as a total for all AE types. At this time, this did not include walk-in centres. 2. AE attendances split down into AE type were first collected in Q1 (April to June) 2002-03. 3. From Q1 (April to June) 2003-04, attendances at walk-in centres were included in attendance information for all types of AE department. Walk-in centres are considered to be a type 3 AE service. 4. Strategic health authorities were established from 1 April 2002. Prior to this, the national health service in England had regional health authorities.  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE

Alzheimer's Disease

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations govern the prescription of drug treatments to people in  (a) early and  (b) late stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Caroline Flint: There are no specific regulations governing the prescription of drug treatments to people in the early and late stages of Alzheimer's disease. However, the Department expects clinicians to follow current recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Alzheimer's Disease

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether provisions exist in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on drug treatments for  (a) Alzheimer's disease and  (b) dementia for clinicians to prescribe the most effective drug treatments available; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) published a clinical guideline on dementia: 'Supporting people with dementia and their carers in health and social care' on 22 November 2006. This guideline incorporates NICE's appraisal guidance on the use of drugs for people with Alzheimer's disease and contains supplementary advice to support clinicians on how to accurately diagnose which stage of Alzheimer's disease an individual has reached.

Ambulances

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulances were in use in Essex in each of the past 10 years.

Andy Burnham: This information is not collected centrally.
	Each ambulance service should plan to provide appropriate resources to meet local demand. This may include resources in addition to traditional ambulance provision, for example in using rapid response vehicles and motorbikes, as well as utilising staff such as community paramedics or emergency care practitioners. Patients who need a traditional ambulance response will continue to receive one. The fleet mix will vary across the country depending on operational and geographical requirements.

Ambulances

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time of ambulances was in each of the past 10 years.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect information on the average response times to emergency calls by national health service ambulance trusts. The Department only centrally collects data, from NHS ambulance trusts, which allows response time standards to be monitored. The response time standards are as follows:
	Category Apresenting conditions which may be immediately life threatening and which should be responded to within eight minutes irrespective of location in 75 per cent. of cases. A fully equipped ambulance should attend incidents classified as category A within 19 minutes of a request being made for transport, 95 per cent. of the time;
	Category Bpresenting conditions which though serious are not immediately life threatening and should be responded to within 19 minutes in 95 per cent. of cases;
	Category Cpresenting conditions which are not immediately serious or life threatening. Since 1 October 2004 local NHS organisations have had responsibility for managing and monitoring the ways in which local services respond to these calls; and
	GP Urgent Callsas specified by a GPto receive a response at scene within 15 minutes of the time stipulated by the GP, 95 per cent. of the time.
	The data that the Department does collect on ambulance response times is published on an annual basis in the statistical bulletin, Ambulance services, England. These documents are available in the Library and on the Department of Health and the Information Centre for Health and Social Care websites:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/fs/en

Aspartame

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) examined on the effectiveness of aspartame in helping with weight control.

Caroline Flint: None.

Awareness of Medicines

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what activity her Department has undertaken to promote the awareness of medicines use reviews; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: A booklet entitled Understand your medicinesa Patient Guide to Medicines Use Review was developed through the medicines partnership. The booklet was distributed to all community pharmacies, when it was first published. This continues to be available for download from the website at www.npc.co.uk/med_partnership Contractors are encouraged to keep stocks of this leaflet in their pharmacies and actively hand it out to patients to raise their awareness.
	We are aware of the need to encourage better engagement with medicines use reviews (MUR) by general practitioners (GPs). The form that is used to notify GPs, following a review, is being re-designed to aid communication. We are also aiming to improve GP's engagement through our wider communications strategy, in particular, when the re-designed forms are launched.

Cold-related Deaths

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to reduce the number of cold-related deaths.

Caroline Flint: The Department is taking the following steps to reduce the number of cold-related deaths:
	supply of information with national publicitysupply of information with national publicity campaigns to raise awareness of the effects of cold and how to reduce risk. Over two million Keep Well, Keep Warm information booklets have been dispersed this winter, including to primary healthcare settings;
	improving good practiceraising awareness and integrating fuel poverty and winter warmth into assessment tools and developing straightforward referral pathways for health and social care workers; and
	partnership workinglocal regional and national levels to ensure a strategic and joined up approach is taken to promoting winter warmth, i.e. local area agreement.

Correspondence

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Care Services will respond to the letter of 15 November 2006 on care homes from the hon. Member for Eddisbury.

Ivan Lewis: The letter of 15 November 2006 from the hon. Member was responded to on the 15 January 2007.

Domiciliary Oxygen

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of emergency orders for domiciliary oxygen were delivered within the target time in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many emergency orders for oxygen were made by each primary care trust, in each month since the implementation of the new contract.

Caroline Flint: Suppliers provide monthly data relating to a range of performance indicators, including the required delivery time for emergency orders. Emergency orders are a priority, as supply is required within four hours where a patient does not have a supply of oxygen at home. Latest information indicates that all suppliers are meeting this requirement for around 98 per cent. of orders, with reasons given where delivery is outside the target time.
	Information on the number of emergency orders made by health professionals in each primary care trust area is not held centrally.

Domiciliary Oxygen

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the value for money of the new home oxygen service; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We began introduction of the new home oxygen service on 1 February 2006 with a phased transfer of patients, using this service, to new suppliers. Therefore, the new service has yet to complete a full year in operation and part of this time has involved managing the transition to the new arrangements. We are continuing to work with the national health service and all suppliers to monitor service delivery and contract performance.

Domiciliary Oxygen

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the new home oxygen service by each primary care trust since the introduction of the service.

Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally.

Domiciliary Oxygen

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is of each primary care trust for the new oxygen service.

Caroline Flint: Information on individual primary care trust (PCT) budgets for the new oxygen service in 2006-07 is not held centrally. The Department allocated 26.4 million to the national health service in 2006-07 to support the new oxygen service. These funds supplemented those already held in PCT baseline budgets.

Drug Rehabilitation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of drugs rehabilitation programmes in each of the last five years, broken down by drug type.

Caroline Flint: We do not hold data centrally on the effectiveness of individual treatment providers.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of children born in England with foetal alcohol syndrome in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: Hospital episode statistics publications contain information on admissions to hospital together with information around the primary and secondary diagnosis of the patient being treated. However, the diagnoses of foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) are rarely recorded in hospital systems as such a diagnosis may not be identified at birth. It requires identification of the facial or other FAS abnormality at this early stage, which can be very difficult and problems that raise the possible diagnosis may only become apparent during schooling. In addition, sensitive information about heavy drinking during pregnancy may not be revealed in that context.

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by her Department on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000.

Ivan Lewis: The following recorded spend has been made by the Department on furniture made by British firms each year since 2000.
	
		
			   
			 2000-01 (1) 
			 2001-02 (1) 
			 2002-03 74,000 
			 2003-04 17,500 
			 2004-05 6,000 
			 2005-06 49,400 
			 2006 to date 19,400 
			 (1) no record

Healthcare-related Infections

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of  (a) MRSA and  (b) clostridium difficile have been reported in each hospital located within the Greater London area in each year since 2000.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested has been placed in the Library. It is also available on the Health Protection Agencies website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/mandatory_ report_2006.htm
	For methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the annual data relates to the period from April 2001, and for Clostridium difficile, (patients aged 65 and over), for the period from January 2004.

Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated financial position is of Milton Keynes primary care trust in the 2006-07 financial year; and what she estimates it will be in each of the next three financial years.

Andy Burnham: At the end of quarter two, 2006-07, Milton Keynes primary care trust (PCT) is forecasting a financial year end deficit of 5.8 million.
	We are working with strategic health authorities to ensure that all national health service organisations in deficit improve their financial positions. Our performance and turnaround teams continue to work with the most challenged organisations to reduce forecast deficits.
	All NHS organisations have a duty to achieve financial balance every year and if possible to create a surplus.

Multi-professional Education and Training Budget

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with whom she discussed the multi-professional education and training budget before deciding to remove ring fencing.

Andy Burnham: The allocation and management of national health service central budgets for 2006-07, including the multi-professional education and training budget, was discussed and agreed by departmental officials and the chief executives of the strategic health authorities.

NHS: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated at Edgware Walk-in-Centre in each of the last five years; how many have been treated there in 2006-07; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Barnet residents  (a) received (i) a cataract operation, (ii) a heart operation and (iii) a cancer operation in (A) 1996-97 and (B) 2005-06 and  (b) have received each type of operation in 2006-07; what the average waiting time was for each operation in each year; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: This information is not available in the format requested. However, the table shows the latest figures available for the count of finished consultant episodes for cataract procedures and heat procedures at Barnet primary care trust (PCT). These figures are not available for cancer operations.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes for cataract procedures (OPCS codes C71, C72, C74, C75) and heart procedures (OPCS codes K01-K71) in 2005-06 and 1996-97, at Barnet PCT 
			  Procedure group  Finished consultant episodes  Mean waiting time  Median waiting time 
			  2005-06
			 Cataract 1,633 71.28 67 
			 Heart 1,774 109.30 90 
			 
			  1996-97
			 Cataract 993 142.01 107 
			 Heart 914 81.33 52 
			  Notes: 1. Median figures are a better proxy to the average time waited as mean figures can cloud the real picture if some anomalies (longwaiters) may artificially increase the average. 2. Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. 3. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 4. Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (ie the data are ungrossed). 5. Time waited (days) Time waited statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for Health and Social Care

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value of the budget is for commissioning specialised services to be transferred from her Department to the national health service in the 2007-08 financial year.

Andy Burnham: The overall budget for nationally commissioned specialised healthcare services in 2007-08 is 346.4 million, of which 233.4 million will be transferred from the Department to the national health service, with the remainder coming from previously agreed transfers from primary care trust allocations. A further transfer in respect of staff who manage the programme is currently being finalised.

NHS Targets

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to ensure accuracy and probity in the reporting of the performance of NHS organisations against targets; and what sanctions exist to deter abuse of performance measures.

Andy Burnham: All performance monitoring returns required by the Department are cleared by the review of central returns process. Subsequently, data standards and definitions are developed, with guidance on form completion issued and a central query service provided to the national health service.
	NHS trusts and commissioners are responsible for the accuracy of their data returns, which in addition to local audit will be subject to processes such as the Audit Commission spot checks.
	Deliberate misreporting of waiting list data is inexcusable and we have made it very clear that serious consequences will follow any individual or trusts that seek to manipulate their performance data.

Pharmaceutical Products

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely financial effect upon the NHS of changes to the distribution of pharmaceutical products by  (a) AstraZeneca and  (b) Lilly.

Caroline Flint: Officials understand that neither company has finalised any changes to their distribution arrangements.
	The Department will monitor any new arrangements. If the changes result in shortages, disruptions to supply, any additional costs to the national health service, or has a detrimental affect on funding pharmacy contractors then the Department will seek to ensure the corrective action is taken.

Productivity Top Tips

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of Productivity Top Tips, referred to on page 123 of her Department's annual report 2006.

Andy Burnham: The document is called Delivering Quality and Value: Focus on Productivity and Efficiency and was published by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. It is available at:
	www.institute.nhs.uk/Products/ProductivityandEfficiency.htm
	A copy has been placed in the Library.
	The further set of improvement guides mentioned in the annual report is called Delivering Quality and Value: Focus on High Volume Care and is available at:
	www.institute.nhs.uk/PriorityProgrammes/DeliveringQualityandValue/focus_on_high_volume_care.htm

Referral-to-treatment Waiting Times

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she intends to publish referral-to-treatment waiting times.

Andy Burnham: Voluntary collection and reporting of referral to treatment (RTT) data has been under way since autumn 2006. Mandatory national RTT waiting time collection for admitted patients begins this month, and for non-admitted patients in April. Publication will begin as soon as the data are of sufficient quality. For the admitted data this is likely to be in the spring; for the non-admitted data in the summer.
	The national health service undertook a baseline data research exercise in summer 2006 involving an estimation methodology that looked at hospital attendance and admission records from earlier in the year. The results, which do not have the status of official or national statistics are available on the 18 weeks website (www.18weeks.nhs.uk) and suggest that, nationally, in early 2006, the pathways of 35 per cent. of admitted and 70-80 per cent. of non-admitted patients were completed within 18 weeks.

Young People's Development Programme

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for the funding of the Young People's Development Programme; if she will take steps to maintain funding for the Programme after March 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Young People's Development Programme was set up as a three year pilot. The intention has always been to embed the lessons learned into mainstream activity. The National Youth Agency and Department are supporting the 27 projects in making the case for funding in future years from their local authority areas on the basis that the Young People's Development Programme will form part of the new targeted youth support arrangements being taken forward by the Department for Education and Skills.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Adoption Agencies

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether local authority commissioned adoption agencies run by religious bodies will be subject to the Equality Act Regulations in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Yes. All providers of public services, including religious adoption agencies, where they are under a contract with a public authority, will be subject to the Regulations introduced under the Equality Act 2006.
	If the services are being provided solely by the religious bodies, then they could be exempted from the Regulations by virtue of Regulation 16.

Altnagelvin Hospital

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with the investigation being carried out by the Coroner at the request of Altnagelvin Hospital into the sudden deaths of four babies at the hospital; when the Coroner is expected to report; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The Coroners Service issued a statement on 15 December concerning this matter. I have arranged for a copy of this to be placed in the Library of the House. It is not possible to give a timescale at this stage, but I have been assured that the experts involved in assisting the Senior Coroner's investigation are conscious of the need to deal with the matter as quickly as possible.

Alzheimer's Disease

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the drug Reminyl is available on the NHS prescribed list of medicines for all patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease in Northern Ireland; and how many patients are being treated with the drug in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Reminyl is available on health service prescription in Northern Ireland following examination and recommendation by a consultant taking into account evidence based practice and the needs of the patient.
	The number of patients being treated with Reminyl is not recorded centrally and is therefore not known.

Ambulance Stations

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which ambulance stations in each of the health boards in Northern Ireland provide  (a) 24-hour coverage and  (b) less than 24-hour coverage.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service provides a 24 hour presence in every ambulance station throughout Northern Ireland with the exception of Castlederg Ambulance Station, which operates one Accident and Emergency resource from Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm and 11 pm to 8 am. No cover is provided from this station from 5 pm to 11 pm on a daily basis. Also, there is no day crew in operation on Sundays in Castlederg although night-time cover is provided from 11 pm to 8 am. On those occasions when there is no cover provided from Castlederg ambulance cover is provided by the nearest available ambulance.

Arson

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of arson there were in the  (a) Lisburn Road and  (b) University and Holyland areas in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The number of occasions on which the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has been called upon to deal with incidents of arson in the areas specified is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Area 
			   Lisburn road  University and Holyland  Total 
			 2002 111 176 287 
			 2003 81 179 260 
			 2004 92 245 337 
			 2005 78 205 283 
			 2006 138 256 394 
			 Total 500 1,061 1,561

Belfast Festival

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to ensure the sustainable future of Belfast Festival at Queens.

Maria Eagle: I am involved in on-going discussions with representatives of the Queen's University of Belfast on the future of the Belfast Festival at Queen's.

Careers Guidance Diploma

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of those who have completed the Diploma in Careers Guidance have since been promoted within the Northern Ireland civil service.

Maria Eagle: 20 employees of the Department for Employment and Learning completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Careers Guidance (QCG) in the first year of the course (2002-03). Following completion of the course, 12 graduates were recruited directly into the Careers Service in 2004-05. A further six employees completed four modules of the course during 2005-06.
	Of a total of 38 employees, one has subsequently been promoted.

Child Poverty

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children under the age of 16 from  (a) Protestant and  (b) Roman Catholic community background were living in poverty in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: It is too early to determine reliable trends broken down by age and religion from the recently introduced Family Resources Survey. However, by amalgamating two years' data together it is possible to provide an estimate of the number of Roman Catholic and Protestant children in poverty. The average figures for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are presented as follows in terms of both before housing costs and after housing costs.
	
		
			  2003-04 and 2004-05  BHC  AHC 
			 Protestant 41,300 40,800 
			 Roman Catholic 58,500 60,600 
			 Other 5,100 5,900 
		
	
	The Government's anti-poverty and social inclusion strategy 'Lifetime Opportunities' sets specific targets for the elimination of child poverty by 2020.
	In order to achieve this, resources and efforts will continue to be targeted on the basis of objective need.
	 Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. As with any sample survey the numbers quoted in the aforementioned table are subject to sampling error.
	3. Data was sourced from Households Below Average Income Northern Ireland (HBAI NI). The HBAI NI is based on information collected from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS was first run in Northern Ireland in 2002-03.
	4. The HBAI is the main source of income poverty measures throughout the UK.
	5. Poverty is defined as households who have an income less than 60 per cent. of the contemporary GB median income.
	6. Children defined as all under 16, or unmarried 16 to 18-year-olds in full-time education.
	7. Income before housing costs (BHC) includes the following main components: usual net earnings from employment; profit or loss from self-employment (losses are treated as a negative income); all social security benefits (including housing benefit, social fund, maternity, funeral and community care grants but excluding social fund loans) and tax credits; income from occupational and private pensions; investment income; maintenance payments, if a person receives them directly; income from educational grants and scholarships (including, for students, top-up loans and parental contributions); the cash value of certain forms of income in kind (free school meals, free welfare milk, free school milk and free TV licence for those aged 75 and over).
	8. Income is net of the following items: income tax payments; national insurance contributions; domestic rates (this includes water and sewerage charges for Northern Ireland); contributions to occupational pension schemes (including all additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) to occupational pension schemes, and any contributions to personal pensions); all maintenance and child support payments, which are deducted from the income of the person making the payment and parental contributions to students living away from home.
	9. Income after housing costs (AHC) is derived by deducting a measure of housing costs from BHC income measure. Housing costs include the following: rent (gross of housing benefit); domestic rates; mortgage interest payments (net of tax relief); structural insurance premiums (for owner occupiers); ground rent and service charges.
	10. Religion is based on the religion of the household reference person and therefore takes no account of mixed marriages.
	11. As religion is not a grossing control factor for the Family Resources Survey all figures relating to this issue have to be treated with caution.
	12. The response rate for the 2002-03 Family Resources Survey was considerably lower than for subsequent years and therefore all results from this year have to treated with caution. For further details please refer to the methodology section in the 2002-03 publication:
	http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/publications/households/households_below_average_income_report_2002-2003.htm
	13. The following confidence intervals need to be applied to the data to be statistically valid.
	
		
			   BHC  AHC 
			 Protestant +-4,400 + /-4,900 
			 Catholic +/-5,400 + /-6,100 
			 Other +/-1,500 +/-1,600

Civil Servants

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants working in Belfast are normally domiciled in Foyle constituency; and what estimate he has made of the number of cars carrying those civil servants which make the return journey between Derry and Belfast on a daily basis.

David Hanson: As at 1 January 2007, 240 civil servants who have a work address in one of the four Belfast constituencies have a home address in the Foyle constituency. The figure includes permanent and casual, industrial and non-industrial Northern Ireland civil service staff working within the 11 departments and agencies, the NIO, the PSNI and the NI Assembly. It does not include staff on career break.
	No estimate has been made of the number of cars carrying these civil servants which make the return journey between Derry and Belfast on a daily basis.

Dangerous Dogs Legislation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to amend dangerous dogs legislation in Northern Ireland; and how many successful prosecutions there have been under existing legislation in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The dangerous dogs legislation is enforced in Northern Ireland by district councils, My officials have written to councils and will over the coming months be liaising with councils and other interested parties to ascertain their views on the current legislation. Following the outcome of these discussions I will consider if further amendments to the legislation are required.
	District councils provide statistical information to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development with respect to enforcement of the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 (as amended), including the number of prosecutions taken for offences under the legislation. However, prior to 2006 these returns did not specifically distinguish prosecutions regarding dangerous dogs from other prosecutions taken under the legislation. The information is included at table 1 as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1: prosecutions under the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 (figures supplied to DARD by district councils) 
			   Minor offences(e.g. fouling, licensing)  Serious offences (e.g. attacks by dogs)  Dangerous dogs  Annual total 
			 2002 160 46  206 
			 2003 265 64  329 
			 2004(1) 177 51  228 
			 2005(1) 139 35  174 
			 2006(2) 47 18 (3)5 (3)71 
			 (1) Prior to 2006 returns did not specifically distinguish prosecutions with respect to dangerous dogs. (2) Figures only available to the end of June 2006. (3) Figures include six cases pending.

EU Programmes

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to take to maximise the take up in Northern Ireland of the upcoming calls under the EU  (a) Competitiveness and Innovation Programme and  (b) Cordis Framework Programme 7.

Maria Eagle: Invest Northern Ireland expects to build on its previous success through a successful application for funding from the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme to continue and extend current activities in the Innovation Relay Centre and European Information Centre.
	Enhanced European integration and engagement with colleagues/potential partners through the British Isles (UK and Ireland) will maintain a trend of increasing returns from the 7(th) Cordis Framework Programme.

Hillsborough Castle

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost to public funds was of the telephone use of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from his official ministerial residence in Hillsborough Castle in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

Peter Hain: It is not possible to breakdown the cost of calls made from Hillsborough Castle by individual user.

Street Works

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what evidence he has assessed on the effect of road excavation in streets by utility companies on the lifespan of streets.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman-in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 16 January 2007:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding, what evidence he has assessed on the effect of road excavation in streets by utility companies on the lifespan of streets.
	As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	I should explain that road structures have a limited lifespan and can deteriorate for many reasons, including road openings by utility companies and no matter how well these are reinstated they inevitably weaken the road structure.
	Over the last decade there has been extensive research carried out, both here in the UK and North America, into the long-term damage of the road pavement caused by road openings by utility companies. In assessing the effects of road openings, Roads Service like many other road authorities in the UK has considered the outcome of the detailed research carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL). The Department of Transport and County Surveyors' Society jointly funded two reports and these are the most recent and perhaps pertinent publications considered by Roads Service as part of our assessment into the residual life of utility reinstatements. These reports are:
	1. Long Term damage Performance of Reinstated Trenches and their Adjacent Pavements. Part (1) Literature Review by M. Zohrabi and MH Burtwell. TRL Report No. TRL 572
	2. Long Term damage Performance of Reinstated Trenches and their Adjacent Pavements. Part (2) Long Term Performance of Reinstatements in the Highway by DP Steele, W McMahon and MH Burtwell. TRL Report No. TRL 573
	It is worth noting that the need for the premature resurfacing of streets was also highlighted in the Traffic Management Act 2004, with an explanation of concerns covered in the associated Regulatory Impact Assessment.
	Further research into long-term damage to road structures is currently being advanced by TRL and Roads Service will consider carefully, the conclusions and recommendations of their report.

Street Works

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  whether the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order will require a full cost-benefit analysis to be carried out as part of the legislative process;
	(2)  what factors were taken into account when deciding that the draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order should apply to works undertaken by  (a) the Department for Regional Development Roads Service,  (b) private developers and  (c) other non-utility companies;
	(3)  if he will undertake a further consultation on the impact of costs arising from the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order on the utility consumer.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 16 January 2007:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland three Parliamentary Questions:
	(i) whether the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order will require a full cost-benefit analysis to be carried out as part of the legislative process;
	(ii) what factors were taken into account when deciding that the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order should take into account works undertaken by (a) the Department for Regional Development Roads Service, (b) private developers and (c) other non-utility companies; and
	(iii) if he will undertake a further consultation on the impact of costs arising from the Draft Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order on the utility consumer.
	I have been asked to reply as the issues raised fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	With regard to the issues raised in your first and third questions, the Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order itself will not have any direct cost implications. However, it is possible that regulations to be made under the Order would have cost implications for the utility companies. As a result, there mil be further consultation and a full Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) completed in relation to each set of draft regulations. A cost benefit analysis is a central analytical component of the RIA, However, it should be noted that the provisions of the Order mil not directly impose any additional costs on utility customers. Whether utilities pass on any element of additional costs to their customers is a matter for the utility in question and its regulator.
	Turning to the second of your questions, the Department, at an early stage, considered the application of certain provisions of the Draft Amendment Order to works, other than street works, on roads. Since those issues were outside the legislative scope of the proposed Street Works (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order, legal advice was sought on the most appropriate way to proceed. The advice received was that if the Department proposed to apply those measures to other works on wads they should be taken forward through the amendment of the appropriate legislation. I expect we will consider doing so in due course, but we have a high workload and no immediate plans to do so.

Traffic Violations

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many traffic violations resulting in fixed penalties being issued there were in Northern Ireland in  (a) November 2005 and  (b) November 2006.

Paul Goggins: I have been informed by the police service of Northern Ireland of the following:
	
		
			  Notice type  Notices issued November 2005  Notices issued November 2006( 1) 
			 Endorsable FPNs 1,374 1,260 
			 Non Endorsable FPNs 3,634 2,478 
			 Parking FPNs 6,777 532 
			 ( 1 ) Figures for notices issued during November are correct as of  5 December 2006. 
		
	
	From 30 October 2006, the responsibility for on street parking enforcement passed to the Roads Service of the Department for Regional Development. PSNI therefore no longer hold records in respect of those parking offences which fall within the responsibility of the Department for Regional Development. PSNI still enforce a number of specified offences such as obstruction, parking on a pedestrian crossing etc.

Working Tax Credits

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether information on working tax credits is given to new recruits in the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

David Hanson: Information on working tax credits is not given to new recruits in the Northern Ireland civil service.

Working Tax Credits

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advice the Northern Ireland Civil Service gives to its employees of their eligibility for working tax credits.

David Hanson: The Northern Ireland civil service does not provide advice to employees on their eligibility for working tax credits. On occasion staff can be referred to HM Revenue and Customs for such advice.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Caste Discrimination

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to address caste discrimination in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: I have noted the contents of the report No Escape: Caste discrimination in the UK, which my hon. Friend kindly sent me. I have asked my officials in the Cohesion and Faiths Unit to consider, in consultation with stakeholders, what evidence there is of caste based discrimination in the UK and whether any action may be required.

Civil Partnerships

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many gay and lesbian couples have registered a civil partnership since their inception in  (a) the North East,  (b) Teesside and  (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibilities of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 January 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for the numbers of gay and lesbian couples who have registered a civil partnership since their inception in (a) the North East, (b) Teesside and (c) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. (114319)
	In England and Wales, National Statistics on civil partnerships are available for Government Office Regions but not for smaller areas. More detailed geographic information will be made available when annual data are published later this year.
	By the end of September 2006, 444 couples had formed a civil partnership in the North East. Of these, 227 were male and 217 female. These provisional figures were published on the National Statistics web site on 4 December:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=1685Pos=ColRank=1Rank=374

Conservation Areas

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria local authorities should apply in  (a) designating an area with Conservation Area status and  (b) removing such designation.

Yvette Cooper: The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 requires local authorities to designate as conservation areas any areas of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance. Guidance on the assessment and designation of conservation areas is included in Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 (Planning and the Historic Environment). This says that the prime consideration in identifying conservation areas should be the quality and interest of areas, rather than that of individual buildings. It also says that cancellation of designation should be considered where an area or part of an area is no longer considered to possess the special interest which led to its original designation.

Departmental Expenditure Limit 2006-07

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written statement of 21 November 2006,  Official Report, column 23, on departmental expenditure limit 2006-07, if she will break down the  (a) component parts and  (b) purpose of the 1.36 million of expenditure on the development of English regions.

Angela Smith: The 1.361 million comprises take up of end year flexibility (EYF) for the Northern Way (800,000), regional development agencies (RDAs) (10,000) and the London Development Agency (LDA) (551,000).
	800,000 was the resource contribution for the 2006-07 financial year from Communities and Local Government to the Northern Way Growth Fund.
	The take up of EYF for the RDAs and the LDA was to bring the level of voted provision for these bodies into line with the budgets that had been allocated to them for the year.

Equality and Diversity

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to implement the recommendations of the Civil Service capability review of her Department on equality and diversity among staff.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government has already taken significant steps including the creation of a workplace equalities team in October. This has contributed to work on the new race equality and disability equality schemes and the forthcoming gender equality scheme.
	In direct response to the capability review we will be drawing on this work and will publish a workplace equality strategy this March. Key themes included will be in line with Whitehall's ten point plan on equality: targets and measurement; leadership and accountability; recruitment and promotion; development, learning culture and working practices, and communications.
	We have already introduced practical measures including signing up to become an exemplar employee (as recommended by the Women and Work Commission) and opening all new jobs to flexible working wherever possible.

Fire Service College

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are employed at the Fire Service College, broken down by category of employment.

Angela Smith: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Fire Service College: Staff in post as at January 2007 
			   Number 
			 Civil servants (permanent) (1)202 
			 Seconded officers 44 
			 Casual civil servants 1 
			 Total 247 
			 (1) Of whom 22 are part-time

Government Office for London

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) programme expenditure and  (b) administration costs of the Government office for London were in each year since 1996-97; and what the forecast is for 2006-07.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 753-54W.
	The only figures to have changed since that answer are the running cost forecast and programme budget figures for 2006-07, which we would expect to change as these figures are regularly updated throughout the financial year. The running cost forecast for 2006-07 has decreased from 18.2 million to 18.0 million, as GOL has been able to cover a large proportion of its accommodation shortfall. The programme budget figure for 2006-07 has increased from 3,074 million to 3,096 million as a result of additional programme budgets which have been delegated to GOL.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether financial incentives are being provided to estate agents to participate in the home information pack dry run in each of the pilot areas.

Yvette Cooper: No financial incentives are being provided specifically to estate agents to participate in the home information pack area trials. Payment for the free and reduced cost home information packs (HIPs) available in these areas will be made directly to the organisation compiling the HIP.

Housing

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition she uses of the term 'affordable housing'; how many affordable homes there are in the Chelmsford local authority area; and how many there were in 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Affordable housing includes social rented and intermediate housing, provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. Affordable housing should:
	Meet the needs of eligible households including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices.
	Include provision for the home to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or, if these restrictions are lifted, for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision.
	This new definition is provided in Planning Policy Statement 3Housing (CLG, December 2006, page 25), and replaces the definition in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing (PPG3) and DETR Circular 6/98 Planning and Affordable Housing.
	Reported data on the number of affordable homes in the Chelmsford local authority area show that:
	In 1997 there were 1,437 social rented homes provided by RSLs and 7,796 by the local authority.
	In 2006 there were 9,141 social rented homes provided by RSLs and none by the local authority.
	At least 272 intermediate (low cost home ownership) homes were provided in 1997-98 to 2005-06, of which 199 received Housing Corporation grant.

Housing

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social houses there are in the Chelmsford local authority area.

Yvette Cooper: As at 31 March 2006, there were 9,141 social houses in the Chelmsford borough area. The stock is owned and managed by housing associations or registered social landlords (RSLs) operating in the borough.

Housing

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people  (a) living within the Chelmsford local authority area and  (b) living outside the Chelmsford local authority area are on the Chelmsford housing waiting list; and what the figures were in 1997.

Yvette Cooper: There are currently 4,940 households on the Chelmsford local authority housing waiting list. Of these, 3,900 are living within the local authority area and 1,040 are living outside the authority area.
	In 1997, there were 3,600 households on the waiting list living within the local authority area. There was a negligible number of households on the waiting list who were living outside the area as the pre-2002 allocations policy did not allow people living outside the Chelmsford LA area to register for housing, with the exception of a small number of homeless cases.
	Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move houseparticularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.

Housing: Planning Permission

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will revise Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 to ban building of houses in back gardens; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: No. The final Planning Policy Statement 3 published on 29 November gives local authorities greater flexibility around the location and kind of housing in their area and gives them greater flexibility to address concerns around development on garden land in areas where it is a problem. We do not believe a blanket ban is appropriate.

Masts

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to review Planning Policy Guidance 8, on masts.

Meg Munn: We will be revising the Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development this year and will be reviewing Planning Policy Guidance 8: Telecommunications in tandem with that work.

Migration

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's latest estimate is of net migration  (a) per year and  (b) over the next 20 years into (i) each Government Office region in England and (ii) England.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 16 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question about the latest estimates of net migration (a) per year and (b) over the next 20 years at England and Government Office Region level. I am replying in her absence. (114499)
	The Office for National Statistics publishes international migration estimates for calendar years in its migration annual reference volume (series MN) which can be found on the ONS website at http://nswebcopy/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=507. The most recent estimates on this basis are for 2004.
	Mid-year to mid-year estimates of net international migration are calculated as a component of change within the official population estimates. Table 1 shows the 2003-04 and 2004-05 net international migration used in these estimates.
	The ONS is also responsible for the regular production of official national and subnational population projections. In producing these, the ONS makes assumptions on the future levels of international migration over the projected period. These assumptions are based upon observed historic trends in migration and are the subject of a consultation with key users and local authorities. Table 2 shows the assumptions on future levels of net international migration for years 2005-06 to 2007-08 as used in the most recent, 2004-based, sets of projections. The international migration assumptions for the year 2007-08 are the long-term assumptions and remain at the same level for the following 20 years. Note that these assumptions are based on historic data to mid 2004 only and so are not consistent with the 2004-05 estimates shown in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Net international migration( 1)  for England and Government Office Regions used in the mid-year estimates 
			  Thousand 
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			 England 165 234 
			 North East 4 12 
			 NorthWest 14 10 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 17 12 
			 East Midlands 4 7 
			 West Midlands 10 24 
			 East 0 23 
			 London 101 116 
			 South East 8 27 
			 South West 5 4 
			 (1) Excludes cross border flows to and from other UK countries  Source:  Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Net international migration( 1)  for England and Government Office Regions used in the 2004-based subnational population projections 
			 Thousand 
			   2005-06  2006-07 ( 2) 2007-08 
			 England 182 160 138 
			 North East 5 5 4 
			 North West 13 11 9 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 20 19 17 
			 East Midlands 4 3 2 
			 West Midlands 13 11 10 
			 East 5 3 2 
			 London 100 91 83 
			 South East 17 13 10 
			 South West 5 3 2 
			 (1) Excludes cross border flows to and from other UK countries (2) The international migration assumptions for the year 2007-08 are the long-term assumptions and remain at the same level for the following 20 years  Source:  Office for National Statistics

Parliamentary Questions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the evidence given before the Communities and Local Government Committee (HC 106-ii) on 4 December 2006, if she will place in the Library a copy of the new guidance she has issued to senior civil servants on answering parliamentary questions.

Angela Smith: I have deposited in the Library of the House a copy of the guidance issued on parliamentary questions.

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many parliamentary questions were tabled to her Department in 2006, broken down by  (a) ordinary written and  (b) named day; what percentage of ordinary written questions were answered within 10 working days; and what percentage of named day questions were answered by the specified date.

Angela Smith: In 2006, 3,665 ordinary written questions and 543 named day questions were tabled to the Department for Communities and Local Government and its predecessor Department the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Of the questions that have been answered, 89 per cent. of ordinary written questions were answered within 10 working days and 58 per cent. of named day questions were answered on the specified date.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities may opt out of the proposed national minimum density target of 30 dwellings per hectare outlined in the new version of PPS3.

Yvette Cooper: Planning Policy Statement 3 makes clear that local authorities should set their own density targets. Local authorities may decide, based on the particular circumstances of their area, or a part or parts of it, to plan for, or agree to, densities different from the national indicative minimum 30 dwellings per hectare in Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3). For example, higher densities may be more appropriate in town centres, and lower densities in rural villages or areas of historical importance.

Smoking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she has plans to issue revised planning guidance or a planning circular in respect of the public smoking ban.

Yvette Cooper: The Department has no plans to issue planning guidance or a planning circular in respect of the smoking ban in public places.

Special Advisers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what gifts have been declared as received by her Department's special advisers in the 2005-06 financial year; when each was given and to whom; what the reason for the gift was; and what the name of the recipient was.

Angela Smith: All gifts received by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government's special advisers are registered and retained by the Department, in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. No gifts have been received in the last financial year.

Thames Gateway

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes to the number of new homes to be constructed in the Thames Gateway area  (a) the Government,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the Government Offices for the Regions have (i) suggested and (ii) approved.

Yvette Cooper: To support the Government's agenda for growth in the Gateway, ODPM (now Communities and Local Government), originally proposed in the 2003 sustainable communities plan to commit support that would enable the development of 120,000 new dwellings up to 2016, subject to the review of the relevant regional plans (also known as regional spatial strategies).
	As part of the ongoing regional spatial strategy process, it has been calculated that the Thames Gateway has the capacity to accommodate 160,000 new homes by 2016 rather than 120,000 as thought possible in 2003. In publishing the Thames Gateway Interim Plan on 22 November 2006 the Department included the housing numbers as published in the three draft regional plans, that is the East of England Plan (to be finalised and published in summer 2007), the further alterations to the London Plan (currently undergoing formal public consultation to be concluded in December 2006), and the draft south east plan (currently undergoing an examination in public). However, the housing numbers may still be subject to alteration due to the Examination in Public process or any further consultations that are carried out.
	While Government have included the new housing figures as put forward by the three regional plans, the housing numbers contained within them have been calculated by the two Regional Assemblies (South East and East of England) and the Greater London Authority. Government, its agencies and the Government Offices therefore have not suggested or approved the number of new homes to be constructed within the Thames Gateway but rather included the housing numbers contained within the three regional plans subject to the Examination in Public process or any further consultations that are carried out.

Urban White Paper

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the  (a) recommendations and  (b) targets in the 2000 Urban White Paper have (i) yet to be met and (ii) are no longer being pursued.

Yvette Cooper: The Urban White Paper Implementation Plan on the Department for Communities and Local Government's website charts the significant progress made to 2003 in implementing all of the 198 recommendations and targets in the White Paper. http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1127195 a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The Sustainable Communities Plan, launched in February 2003, takes forward ideas and actions from the Urban White Paper. It set out a clear long term action plan and framework for delivery, and a renewed vision to tackle new challenges such as the growth in housing demand, particularly in South East England, and reviving the housing market in areas of lower demand. In the recent Local Government White Paper, Strong and Prosperous Communities published in October 2006, we set out that we will publish shortly an urban policy position paper setting out what has been done regarding the measures in the Urban White Paper that foster and support urban renaissance.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Child Care Proceedings

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the change in the cost of child care proceedings has been in each of the last 10 years.

Vera Baird: Between 1999-2000 and 2005-2006, legal aid spend on Special Children Act cases rose from 94 million to 209 million. Information prior to 1999 is not readily available as costs were not recorded to show care proceedings separately.
	The estimated net total court costs for child care proceedings in 2005-06, are 42.3 million. Financial data on court costs is not available from the former Court Service prior to this period and a more robust full costing model has since been created.
	The total cost of care proceedings also includes expenditure by local authorities in England and Wales; and the Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS); and CAFCASS Cymru.

Civil Cases Budget

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the changes being made to the Very High Cost Civil Cases budget; and how such cases are identified before litigation begins.

Vera Baird: No changes are currently planned for the Very High Cost Civil Cases (VHCCC) budget for 2006-07. VHCCCs are case managed by the LSC's Special Cases Unit (SCU). They are identified when the LSC receives the solicitor's estimated costs to conclude the case. If the actual or likely costs exceed the sum of 25,000, the case is automatically referred to the SCU. There may be other requests such as authority to use a QC and this would trigger a referral to the SCU. In addition, all multi party actions are referred to the SCU as they would be likely to satisfy the criteria for SCU referral.

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what complaints procedure is available in respect of the handling of coal health claims by claims handlers.

Bridget Prentice: Under Part 2 of the Compensation Act 2006, anyone providing a regulated service on a commercial basis in certain specified areas which includes personal injury, will be required to obtain authorisation and comply with regulatory rules. The rules require claims management businesses to establish an internal complaints handling procedure. If a complaint cannot be resolved satisfactorily, the complainant will be able to refer their complaint to the regulator who can investigate the handling of the complaint or the complaint itself. The provisions are expected to be fully commenced on 6 April 2007.

Coal Health Claims

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her Department's policy as the regulator of claims handlers is on the right of an individual to access to his client papers for industrial disease claims where a claims handler represents him and a Government Department is the defending party.

Bridget Prentice: Businesses authorised under the Compensation Act 2006 by the Department for Constitutional Affairs to provide a regulated claims management service are required to provide to the regulator any information that he reasonably requests. If an individual represented by an authorised business makes a reasonable request for papers to that business we would expect the business to provide these. The regulator can direct an authorised person to provide information or documents in relation to a complaint or the conduct of the matter under which the complaint arose, and further direct that these are made available to the client.

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions in 2005-06 the Government paid compensation for an infringement of human rights.

Vera Baird: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Human Rights Act 1998 allows the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights to be argued in any case before any court or tribunal. However, a significant proportion of judicial reviews raising human rights issues seek a declaration or one of the discretionary remedies rather than monetary compensation.

Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which external consultants were used by  (a) her Department and  (b) each of its agencies in relation to private finance initiatives in 2005-06; and what the nature and cost of the work was in each case.

Harriet Harman: No external consultants were used by DCA in relation to private finance initiatives in 2005-06. Eight external consultants were used by its agency (HM Courts Service) across five PFI courthouse schemes with expenditure totalling 702,494.38 in 2005-06. Details of each are as follows:
	
		
			  Scheme  Consultant  Type  Amount () 
			 Hereford, Kidderminster, Worcester and Redditch Magistrates Courts Michemores Legal 5,381.59 
			 Derbyshire and Chesterfield Magistrates Court Wragge and Co Legal 18,791.94 
			  Austin Smith Lord Technical 32,132.74 
			 Exeter Combined Courts Lambert Smith Hampton Estates 21,108.27 
			  Michelmores Legal 3,344.89 
			  King Sturge Estates 4,100.75 
			 Sheffield Family Hearing Centre Denton Wilde Sapte Legal 1,501.61 
			 North Somerset (Worle) and Bristol Magistrates Courts Wragge and Co Legal 23,763.15 
			  Turner and Townsend Project Management 580,226.93 
			  Michemores Legal 1,745.52 
			  PWC Financial 10,396.99 
			 Total   702,494.38

Departmental Claims Policy

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to paragraph 7.8 of her Department's annual report 2006, what measures her Department is taking to discourage and resist bad claims.

Bridget Prentice: The Department is introducing the regulation of claims management services under the Compensation Act. This will tackle certain practices carried out by some previously unregulated claims farmers, such as encouraging and bringing bad claims. We are also working with stakeholders to encourage organisations to resist bad claims.

Electoral Systems Review

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  when the Review of Electoral Systems will be referenced on the Department's website;
	(2)  what form the published version of the Review of Electoral Systems will take;
	(3)  when she expects the Department's Review of Electoral Systems to be published.

Bridget Prentice: The Government review of the experiences of the new UK voting systems introduced for the devolved administrations, the European Parliament and London Assembly elections, is being conducted by officials within the DCA. Any decisions on next steps, if necessary, will be taken in due course. It remains the Government's intention to finalise the review within the lifetime of this Parliament.

Electoral Systems Review

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what details of the work of the Review of Electoral Systems have been publicly released since it began in February 2005; on what dates such details have been published; what form they were published in; and what steps she has taken to secure an input to the review from outside the Department.

Bridget Prentice: The Government's review of electoral systems is currently under way. The review is a desk-top study being carried out within my Department. We are seeking some input from outside the Department to ensure factual accuracy. No part of the review has yet been publicly released or published in any form.

Legal Aid

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of legal aid costs has been paid to  (a) solicitors,  (b) expert witnesses and (c) counsel in (i) criminal and (ii) family law cases in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: The information is provided in the following table.
	It is not possible to state what proportion of costs is spent on expert witnesses as this is not recorded centrally.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Criminal law  
			 Solicitor costs 73 71 70 70 69 
			 Counsel costs 27 29 30 30 31 
			   
			  Family law  
			 Solicitor costs 80 76 75 77 77 
			 Counsel costs 20 24 25 23 23

Legal Aid

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the change in expenditure on  (a) family and  (b) criminal legal aid which will result from the proposed legal aid reform.

Vera Baird: There will be no additional costs for family or criminal legal aid as a result of the proposals announced in Legal Aid Reform: The Way Ahead.

Legal Aid

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost of  (a) family and  (b) criminal legal aid was in each of the last 10 years.

Vera Baird: The information requested is given in the following table, in terms of cash expenditure.
	
		
			   million net 
			   Total family legal aid  Total criminal legal aid 
			 1996-97 392 669 
			 1997-98 389 733 
			 1998-99 423 788 
			 1999-2000 420 784 
			 2000-01 443 872 
			 2001-02 399 982 
			 2002-03 450 1,096 
			 2003-04 493 1,179 
			 2004-05 488 1,192 
			 2005-06 536 1,197

Legal Aid

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the development of a standard form of legal aid application as set out in Commission Decision 2005/630/EC, OJL225 of 31 August 2006; what assessment her Department has made of the costs of implementing the scheme; and what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the scheme on the quantity of litigation in the courts.

Vera Baird: The form is to accompany legal aid applications which are transmitted between the legal aid authorities of different member states under the European Legal Aid Directive for cross border cases, which came into effect in 2004. The volume of applications is not expected to be significant. In the current financial year, there have been 11 such applications received for legal aid in England and Wales and 27 applications transmitted to other member states.

Legal Aid

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to conduct a rural impact assessment on the proposed reforms of legal aid.

Vera Baird: My Department and the Legal Services Commission published Legal Aid Reform: The Way Ahead in November 2006, which was accompanied by a regulatory impact assessment, including an assessment of the impact of reform upon rural areas. This can be found on both the LSC and DCA's websites.
	The LSC will be consulting further on elements of the reform programme over the coming year. These consultations, some of which will be conducted locally, will also be accompanied with an assessment of any potential impact on rural areas.

Departmental Travel

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what the Lord Chancellor's Department's expenditure was on foreign travel, including accommodation, in 1996-97;
	(2)  what her Department's expenditure was on foreign travel, including accommodation, in 2005-06.

Harriet Harman: For figures for ministerial expenditure on foreign travel, including accommodation, in 1996-97 and 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the Prime Minister's answer given on 19 December 2006 to the hon. Member for Blaby, (Mr. Robathan) Official Report, column 1808, which refers to the published annual list of overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers and includes the overall cost of all Ministers' overseas travel.
	Costs of foreign travel, including accommodation, for civil servants incurred by the Department in 1996-97 and 2005-06 are not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts and may be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has published rules for official travel in its staff handbook, and all travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Civil Service Management Code. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Translation Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what documents her Department and its agencies translate for people in the UK who do not speak English; into which languages such documents are translated; and what the cost was of producing such translations in each of the last five years, broken down by language of translation.

Vera Baird: The Department for Constitutional Affairs translates documents including consultation papers; public information; reports and guides. The Department does not collate information on which languages are translated from and to.
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs does not collect the information centrally and could only be given at disproportionate cost. This department is giving consideration to the routine collection of data relating to translating departmental publications other than English.
	Her Majesty's Court Service has a Welsh Language Unit, which translates court proceedings from commencement to the transcription at the conclusion. There is currently no central policy regarding translating documents into other languages. This function is determined at local level. There would be disproportionate costs in obtaining the information regarding the costs and the number of languages. Her Majesty's Court Service is giving consideration to the routine collection of data relating to translating departmental publications other than English. A central policy is currently being drafted which will identify the six most commonly requested languages for corporate publications to be translated into.
	Since the Tribunal Service was created in April 2006, the documents translated for people in the United Kingdom who do not communicate in the English language include literature about how to bring a case to tribunal; claims forms; judgments; and correspondence with appellants and parties. The languages into which such documents have been translated are Welsh, Gaelic, Arabic, Chinese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Somali, Urdu, Vietnamese, Greek and Turkish. Since April, it is estimated that 27,000 has been spent on translation. The cost of breaking down the costs by language would be disproportionate.

Translation Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what services provided by her Department and its related agencies translation services are provided.

Vera Baird: The Department for Constitutional Affairs translates documents as requested including consultation papers; public information; reports and guides.
	Her Majesty's Court Service translates court proceedings from commencement to the transcription at the conclusion. There is a Welsh Language Unit that translates documents into that language. Other languages are translated by local agreements.
	The services provided by the Tribunals Service for which translation services are provided relate to bringing a case to a tribunal.

Wider Markets Initiative

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs who has participated in the Wider Markets Initiative; and what payments have been received.

Harriet Harman: A total of 50 venues have participated in the Wider Market Initiative over the past three years. The total payments received since April 2004 amount to 2,303,420.70. A detailed breakdown of the sites used and incomes received for each year has been placed in both Libraries of the House. A separate breakdown for the Royal Courts of Justice has also been placed in the Libraries of the House.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Bowland Dairies

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will take steps to ensure that rulings of the European Court of Justice in favour of UK businesses are not overridden by executive action of the European Commission; and if he will seek to intervene in the case of Bowland Dairies.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	The European Commission is bound by the decisions of the Court. The lawfulness of European Commission actions is open to challenge under Article 230 of the treaty establishing the European Community.
	The case of Bowland Dairy Products Ltd  v. Commission is a matter for the parties. The United Kingdom Government have not sought to intervene in the case.